Committed
by muchbeddled
Summary: After the sheriff goes missing and Prince John's army threatens to burn Nottingham, Marian gives herself to Robin. And now, even more committed to one another, they face joys and hardships and adventures while he is an outlaw, and she a spy. Takes place immediately before my story, Into the Fall.
1. Chapter 1

"I've packed a bag for your men...salt for Much and bandages for Djaq, leather to patch John's boots and tools for Will... Is there anything _you _need?"

"I need you."

Alone with Robin in her castle bedchamber, Marian was desperately trying to act as if nothing had changed between them. But Robin's smiling, loving gaze of adoration, wouldn't let her.

Nothing would ever be the same again, she had seen to that when she offered him her body and her maidenhead. And he had taken her with so much love, so much joy, so much concern for her, and such intensity, she grew convinced that archery was only the second best thing he excelled at.

Her emotions were such a complicated jumble, she didn't know how to feel...she, who usually liked to make a decision, and stick with it. But this was different.

She'd been raised to firmly believe that sexual intimacy between a man and a woman should be reserved solely for the marriage bed. Virtue was important, despite the way so many threw theirs away. Her father, were he still alive, would be disappointed, even heartbroken, if he knew what she'd done. She and Robin were engaged, but not yet married. Yet she was also singing inside, soaring, lifted up and transported by her love for this man who also loved her, and by the bonds that united them.

"Come here," Robin softly invited her now, sensing her wavering confusion.

Being held again in his arms, all her doubts and regrets disappeared. They loved one another...that was enough. She'd told him she wanted him, and she did. They faced death so often, he as an outlaw, she as the Nightwatchman, but never so strongly as they'd faced it today, with the sheriff missing and Prince John's army threatening to burn Nottingham to the ground. And then there was the matter of Gisbourne.

Guy had begged her, on his knees, to marry him, not once today, but three times. He'd returned to face death with her, when he could have ridden away. His bravery and humility had surprised her, touched her even, even while his offer of marriage had repulsed her.

_"I would rather die than marry you, Guy of Gisbourne," _she had wanted to tell him. _"I love Robin Hood. If we survive, I'm going to marry Robin Hood."_

Guy's need for her, so uninvited, had made her want to bind herself even more closely to the man she loved. And so she had.

"Are you alright?" Robin was asking her now, tenderly brushing her hair back from her cheek, his voice as warm and caressing as his touch. "You're not sorry, are you? I love you, Marian. I'll find a priest to marry us."

She looked so beautiful in her flowing white nightdress, though not half as beautiful as she'd looked without it. Robin felt conflicted, too, indescribably, ecstatically happy, relaxed, and fulfilled, yet deeply concerned for her feelings, and somewhat guilty, remembering his promise to her father to protect and look after her.

"I'm fine...I'm wonderful," she answered him.

"Yes, you are."

"No. I only meant-"

"I know what you meant. I'm wonderful, too."

"You really are."

They kissed, feeling surprisingly shy with one another. And yet a new fire kindled and flared the moment their lips touched, again surprising them.

"I don't want to go," Robin told her, breathing deeply and holding her even more tightly.

"You must. Go now, while there's still confusion. The sheriff will soon restore order, and besides, Much will come looking for you, if you don't return."

Robin broke into a grin. "It's a miracle he didn't come charging in here, just as we were about to...Sorry!"

She was smiling, too, though her cheeks were burning. "Go. I love you."

"I love you, too."

One final kiss, achingly sweet, and then he was gone. Part of her felt she had been rent in two, but most of her rejoiced in their mutual love.

Feeling she'd never be able to sleep tonight, Marian dropped to her knees by her bedside, her prayer a glorious mass of feelings rather than one of words.

A knock on her door surprised her, interrupting her prayer.

"Marian," a deep, breathy voice pleaded. "Let me in."

"Guy!"

Rising and almost flying to the door, Marian grasped the iron handle firmly, locking Gisbourne out.

He mustn't see the rumpled bed, with its small telltale bloodstain. He mustn't see her, lest he somehow guess what she had done. She felt as if Robin were still in her room, and she needed to protect him.

"Guy, it's late. What do you want?"

"I want...I want an answer, Marian," he spoke through her door, his voice urgently pleading.

"An answer?" she repeated, not comprehending. "An answer to what?"

"Marian, I need to know, tonight. Will you marry me?"


	2. Chapter 2

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Marian warned herself to choose her words carefully.

She wasn't frightened. Tonight was worlds away from the heartbreaking day a year ago when Guy had forced her to accept his marriage proposal by threatening her life and that of her father. He had changed since then. He was continuing to change, beginning to choose Good over Evil, and she couldn't end his transformation now, by hurting him.

His feelings, she had learned, were extremely fragile, when they concerned himself.

Guy had done the unthinkable today...he'd actually sat across a table from Robin and negotiated with him. Neither Robin nor Guy had made it easy, but she had made it happen. And later, when he could have ridden away to safety, he had chosen to return to Nottingham and face death, rather than desert...its people. No, that was a lie. She knew he'd returned only for her, and the responsibility of it weighed on her heavily, stealing away her joy from the love she had experienced just moments ago with Robin.

Guy was changing, and what an asset he would be, if she could get him to take that final, crucial step away from the sheriff, and work with her and Robin, to defeat him!

"Guy," she called through her door, "I'm honored. But I can't begin to consider marriage yet. I'm still mourning my father."

"How long will you continue to mourn?" he exploded. "It's been long enough!"

Marian was glad the thick, oaken door hid her indignant reaction. How dare he try to bully her, thinking he could control the amount of time she should grieve? Even though what she'd said was a lie, she felt she'd never stop missing her father. Guy's overly sensitive feelings toward himself certainly didn't extend to include the feelings of others!

"I'm sorry, Guy," she told him, just wanting him to go away. "I cannot consider your offer, until I'm ready."

"What better way to end your grief, than by creating new life? Marry me, Marian! Be Lady Gisbourne! I proved my love for you today."

"Yes, and I'm grateful!" She cringed, thinking "grateful" didn't sound exactly right. If he would only go, and leave her alone!

"Let me in, Marian," Guy pursued, urgently. "This is no conversation to have, through a closed door."

_It isn't a_ _conversation to have at all. I'm already engaged! I'm going to marry Robin Hood!_

Quickly, Marian slipped her emerald engagement ring off her finger and hid it in the neckline of her nightdress. She had no intention of letting Guy in, but if he forced her door...! Her gaze shot to her rumpled bed, and she gripped her door's iron ring even more tightly.

"I'm tired, Guy," she pleaded. "It's been a trying day. Please, let's talk about this tomorrow."

There was no answer. She waited, knowing he was struggling within himself, just on the other side of her door. He was used to taking what he wanted through force. She truly believed he wouldn't force her now, but she had to say something, to lessen his anger and feelings of inadequacy, brought on by her rejection.

"I saw another side of you today, Guy," she told him, feeling he deserved her encouragement, not toward believing she would marry him, but to help him continue down the path toward Right and Goodness. "You were so brave. I admired you, today. And now, I need to get some sleep, and so do you. Goodnight, Guy."

With infinite relief, she felt her door handle slacken, and sighing, she eased her grip on it.

His voice, when at last he spoke to her again, sounded tortured. "Until tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Marian."

Pressing her ear to her door, she listened to his heavy footsteps retreat down the corridor before letting go of her door handle. Finally, he was gone, and she could once again think about Robin, and how magnificent he'd looked and felt and tasted! All the passion, all the tenderness that had passed between them, united them in love and heat and rapture, bringing them a closeness she had never known! To be able to focus completely on one another, to take and to give, with nothing between them, was an adventure Marian longed to experience again.

But it was more than an adventure...it was a pledge, a deep pledge of undying love and commitment. She _felt_ married, and the feeling thrilled her. Retrieving her ring from her gown, she happily slid it back onto her finger.

"I love you, beautiful, beautiful Robin of Locksley," she whispered into the darkness, climbing back into her bed, wishing that he was still beside her.

...

Sharing a laugh with his gang, Robin realized he hadn't heard what had made the others laugh. Djaq had told some story about a sleepwalking man and his goats, but Robin hadn't really been listening. His mind was preoccupied, thinking of Marian.

Was she alright? Would she wake up tomorrow, regretting what they'd done?

What they'd done...! There were no words to describe what he'd felt...what he felt for her still! She was even more beautiful than he'd imagined...even more loving and passionate than he knew! He had tried so hard to be gentle, and not hurt her, and he'd been overwhelmed by love and desire, and she had responded with-

"Well!" Much declared, breaking into Robin's thoughts. "It certainly took you long enough to get back! Will got here well ahead of you! And you haven't commented on how well the rest of us cleaned up the camp, after the sheriff made mincemeat of my order!"

"The sheriff! Lads," Robin realized, every muscle taut, "we need to move camp, now!"

"No," Djaq told him calmly, casting a reassuring glance at Little John, who hung his head in shame. "The sheriff does not know where the camp is. He was blindfolded, when we led him here."

"When _I _led him here," Little John insisted. "Robin, I'm sorry."

"We've been through this, John," Robin assured him. "Never be ashamed you have a heart." Turning back to Djaq, he asked, "You're certain he can't find us?"

"He has no idea," she said with a smile.

"Well! I must say, I am glad!" Much announced. "I wouldn't like to leave our camp! I've grown used to it, living here in the forest, fighting for justice! I'll hate to see it end, when the king comes back! Maybe I'll stay, and continue on... What was that name I gave myself, Master?"

Robin sucked in the air between his teeth, fearing Much would tell everyone about his engagement to Marian. "The Sherwood Avenger," he muttered, throwing Much a look of warning that was lost on his servant.

"It's too bad Allan isn't here, to comment on _that_," Will added, soberly.

"That traitor!" Little John bellowed.

"He wasn't a traitor today," Will told them, missing his friend. "He brought us Marian's ring, and he...he was prepared to die, fighting beside me. He...he asked to...he asked to come back."

The silence greeting his admission was as thick as a November fog. Everyone turned wide, inquiring eyes on Robin.

"He can't be trusted," Robin decided, hiding his regret under a cloak of firmness. "If he truly wants to be part of us, he can stay in the castle, and help Marian. And now, lads, I'm off to bed."

"Me, too," Djaq agreed, yawning.

"And me!" Much had to add.

Everyone was exhausted from such a long, trying day, and in no time, Little John's snores were thundering from their camp.

It was true that the sheriff didn't know the way to Robin Hood's camp, but he had learned the location of one of the gang's drop points, and he, committed to capturing and killing Hood, was already formulating a plan to use it.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, yes, Gisbourne, yes! We'll use Robin Hood's own drop point in the forest, to lay our little snare and capture him! Oh, yes! This is good! This is good!"

The sheriff's words brought a sneer of eager anticipation to Gisbourne's face. Tortured and angry from Marian's rejection, Guy next found himself humiliated by being assigned the disgusting, degrading duty of restoring the sheriff's toenails to their previous black-painted glory, before yesterday's barefoot walk through the forest. Gisbourne needed to hear good news, after suffering such humiliations.

"My lord," he said, putting aside the toenail brush. "I'll summon the guard. Hood won't be expecting a battle! We'll ambush him when he comes delivering his charity, and then, my lord, I trust you will give me the pleasure of killing him."

"Were you listening? HMM? I said we'll _capture _him! Your lack of imagination, Gisbourne, never fails to astound me!"

"With respect, my lord, I thought you wanted Hood dead! Why prolong his life, and give him a chance to escape us? Again!"

"May I remind you, Gisbourne, that Hood's escapes were due solely to your INCOMPETENCE? But to answer your question, you dim-witted, lovesick, misery-addled mess, I have two reasons. Number One: I want my Pact back! And Number Two: Think what poetry it will be, watching Hood suffer, while we torture him into confessing where he's hidden it this time! Then, once I've grown bored by his screams and my Pact's safely back in my hands, _then _I will allow you the infinite pleasure of killing him. And another thing, Gisbourne, hmm? No guards. Do you really think those blithering oafs could successfully ambush pretty little Robin Red Breast, hmm? A clue...no. My plan calls for much finer, much more delicate finesse! Oh, yes!"

"And what is your plan, my lord?"

The sheriff thrust his false tooth up into his gums, then stretched back his lips in a grinning leer. "Bring me your boy!" he ordered, gleefully. "_He's_ going capture Robin Hood! Oh, this is good!"

...

Marian's heart was pounding as hard as her horse's hoofs pounded the turf beneath them. She had to find Robin, and warn him of the sheriff's plan.

She had been on her way to find Gisbourne, to continue the unpleasant discussion he had begun last night through her door, when Allan, nervous and panting, hunted her down.

"What's happened to you?" she asked.

"You gotta warn Robin!" he told her, his bright blue eyes open even wider than usual. "The sheriff's got a plan to catch him, and not bein' funny, but it's so daft, it might work!"

And he related how the sheriff planned to disguise him as a leper, and have him beg from Robin at the drop off point he'd discovered in the forest. And then, after Allan gained "Hood's bleeding heart's" sympathy and trust, he would lead him straight to "Giz," who would knock Hood senseless, bind him, and haul him to the sheriff.

"Why can't you warn him yourself?" Marian asked, growing pale at the thought of Robin hurt. "Surely you can alert him to the danger, while you're playing your part."

"Yeah, I would, if I was alone. But I won't be! Giz will be watching everything, just a few feet away. I think...I think the sheriff's testing my loyalty again."

"And are you loyal?"

"Look, Marian, I do what I have to. Robin's not giving me much of a choice, is he? Would you like it better, if I did what the sheriff ordered, without letting you in on it?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I'll help you. And Allan...thank you."

She hurried away to help, though it involved sneaking out of the castle, securing a fast horse, and riding away, without Gisbourne, or the spies he'd ordered to watch her, seeing her go.

She thought the sheriff's plan was foolish and far too elaborate to work, yet all the same, she needed to find Robin and warn him. If she could not find him, she feared that he, or Allan, or both, might be in danger, victims of Gisbourne's hatred and wrath.


	4. Chapter 4

"The gong!"

Wondering whom they had caught, the gang rushed from camp to the place where Will had recently moved his ingenious trap. Much broke into a grin, waiting for Robin's clever teasing remarks, when they discovered Marian suspended in the air.

But he soon grew confused and disappointed. "Robin of Locksley!" Marian was shouting, just as she had once before. "Get me down!" And Robin, instead of grinning and shouting back something cheeky, looked concerned and immediately brought her to the ground, placing his hands tenderly on either side of her waist while gazing into her face with a look Much recognized.

"I know that look!" Much blurted out loud. "That's the same look you wore when we returned from war, and Marian met us at her door with an arrow aimed at your heart!"

"Are you alright?" Robin asked her, his voice soft and filled with concern.

"I'm...wonderful," a starry-eyed Marian responded, her own voice soft and catching in her throat as she repeated the words they'd spoken last night.

The rest of the gang shot each other looks that seemed to ask, "What the...?"

"What's going on?" Much asked, demanding to know what everyone else wondered, too. "Master, what's happening? Why aren't you...why aren't you teasing her? And Marian, why aren't you angry? I don't understand!"

Much's outburst and the questioning stares of the gang soon broke the romantic spell, reminding Marian why she'd come. "Robin, you're in danger," she warned him. "The sheriff's set a trap for you at one of your drop points in the forest, using Allan and Gisbourne to-"

"Allan!" Robin interrupted, then turned to face his men. "Didn't I say he couldn't be trusted?"

"Traitor!" Little John bellowed.

"He's the one who warned me of the trap," Marian informed them, passionately. "He doesn't think he has a choice, but he wants no part in harming you. The sheriff's disguising him as a leper, and is ordering Gisbourne to wait in hiding, and when you least expect it, he'll-"

"Ha!" Robin interrupted again, looking angry yet overly cocky. "As if I can't spot a traitor...make that two traitors! Or defend myself against Sir Guy of Gisbourne! How many others is the sheriff employing, Marian?"

"None," she answered, a sinking feeling beginning to numb her. "Robin! You're not thinking of...!"

"I know _that_ look, too!" Much declared, recognizing the grin and the twinkle in his master's eyes that spelled TROUBLE, yet liking the odds of the five of them against only Allan and Gisbourne. "Or possibly even six," he spoke out loud, "if you let Marian join our fight, which I doubt."

"There mustn't _be_ a fight!" Marian told them. "All you have to do, Robin, is stay away from the drop point, the one where Djaq and Little John found the sheriff yesterday!"

"What? And miss all the fun?" Robin laughed, then grew serious when he saw the look in Marian's eyes. "Excuse us," he told his gang, leading Marian aside for a heart-to-heart conversation, while his gang headed back to camp to arm and prepare themselves.

Alone with Marian at last, Robin discovered he didn't know what words to say. Talk of Gisbourne, and Allan too, for that matter, could wait. He only wanted to talk of love. Was she really alright? Did she regret her decision to...to be with him in the most intimate way possible? Or did she glory in it, as he'd been doing, longing for him as he'd been longing for her?

They never had enough time, and now that they had a few, priceless moments alone together, Robin found he didn't know what to say. But Marian, alarmed for his safety, had no trouble speaking her heart.

"Robin," she began, "if you love me, you'll leave Allan and Gisbourne alone!"

"I do love you! But I can't allow them to take over my forest! Anyone who shows up at that drop point, Marian, in need of my help, will be captured and accused of consorting with outlaws. If I don't do something to frighten and keep those traitors away, I help fewer people...more children will go to bed crying because their bellies are empty, more widows will mourn because they've lost all hope. You don't really think I can let that happen...you, who risk being shot on sight, every time you ride out as the Nightwatchman! Marian, of all the people I know, you ought to understand."

She did, for his desire to help the poor mirrored her own, while his efforts surpassed hers. He was a hero. She loved him, and she told him so.

"I do understand! I love you, Robin. I just don't want you to face-"

"Then stay with me, here in the forest! Come and join my gang, again."

She found herself in his arms, tempted beyond measure by his invitation. To live with him again, to see him every morning and every night, to help him in all his good and worthy causes, to laugh with him and cry with him and argue with him and talk with him, and now, to lie with him, seemed a perfect dream. But she knew she couldn't help nor protect him in the forest, the way she could living in the castle.

"I can do more good in the castle," she reminded him, bravely.

He knew it was true. He needed her to be his eyes and ears, informing him of everything that went on there. But he couldn't dismiss a nagging doubt. "This isn't about Gisbourne, is it, Marian?"

Suddenly happy, she smiled up at him. "You should see a barber, Robin of Locksley. All that hair on your head has addled your brain. I would have thought that last night would have convinced you how I feel! Guy of Gisbourne holds no interest for me. He never has. My heart, as Much so eloquently put it, belongs to another."

Robin's smile was loving yet surprisingly shy as he drew her closer against his chest. "About last night," he began, his passion returning as he felt her body near, and smelled the rose petal scent of her hair. "Do you think we could ever-"

"I'm sure of it!" Her answer was so quick, a slight blush colored her cheeks. "I mean, we could...we should...we shouldn't, but we...I don't know how or where. We need to wait for the king to come home, and we can get married. Robin, can't you think of a plan now, so we can...?"

"Was that a yes?" Robin asked, confused by her jumble of words.

"I don't know. Yes! It was...it is, definitely, yes."

As they kissed, all of Marian was singing "Yes!" At the same time, she worried about Robin facing Gisbourne. She didn't like it, but she knew she couldn't stop the man she loved from confronting and challenging his enemy. Unless, she realized, his enemy was nowhere within the forest.

The confrontation must not happen! There was too much bad blood between them, too much hurt, anger, jealousy, and hatred. Robin must not get hurt! Not only that, but if Guy was ever to join forces with Robin against the sheriff, another battle between them would not hasten their partnership.

She formed a plan, a simple one to keep Guy away. She wished with all her heart she could stay with Robin and go on kissing him for hours, but she knew her duty, and she, just like the man she loved, was committed to putting it above her own wishes.


	5. Chapter 5

"Bonchurch," Robin breathed into Marian's hair, holding her in his arms.

Her cheek was resting on his chest; her mind actively planning a way to keep Robin and Gisbourne apart. "Bonchurch?" she repeated, pulling away to look at him.

"My hunting lodge. We can be alone there."

Marian lifted her eyebrows in surprise. Their thoughts, like their lives a year ago, had been travelling in different directions.

"I'm sorry," Robin quickly told her, looking adorably boyish in his embarrassment. "I meant no disrespect. I love you, Marian. I want to marry you, not dishonor you. I only thought you wanted me to come up with a plan, for us to be together. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I love you, too. I wish we were already married, but I don't see how we can be, until the king returns."

"I'll find a priest, who won't betray us. I'll find one we can trust."

She nodded, then surprised him by saying, "Bonchurch sounds perfect. Shall we go now?"

She felt a twinge of guilt, using the lure of sex to keep Robin away from Gisbourne, but it wasn't only that. She wanted to be alone with him again, and who knew when they would next have the chance? After all, she reminded her nagging conscience, it wasn't easy for her to sneak out of the castle, and it was nearly impossible for him to sneak in.

Robin, however, was too sharp to be fooled, the way she could always fool Guy. Hurt and suspicious, he raised his voice louder than he meant to, accusing her, "You've learned some fine tricks, playing spy for me at the castle!"

"What do you mean?"

"I would have thought you'd know better than to try your tricks on me! Is this how you gather information...from _him?_ Don't deny it, Marian! I saw you kiss him that time Carter was helping us!"

"How dare you? That was to save your life! As I recall, Robin of Locksley, you weren't angry at the time!"

"I was trying to be mature about it! Isn't that what you're always telling me to do...'Grow up?' "

"Only because you need to! And I don't 'play' spy! If you have so little regard for the danger I face, to help _you, _then maybe you should find someone else to be your eyes and ears in the castle!"

They were angry, but their argument hurt them far more strongly than it would have, had last night never happened. Robin saw the tears stinging her eyes, and felt his anger leave him in a rush, as if her tears had washed it all away.

"I _will_ find someone else," he told her, taking both her hands in his. "Stay with me, Marian. Don't go back...to _him."_

Marian drew in her breath and stared at the man she loved. How could Robin still be jealous of Gisbourne?

"I love you," she told him. "Believe me, Robin, nothing could make me happier than to stay with you, and be a part of your gang again-"

"Then do it! Stay with me here in the forest, my love!"

She smiled sadly, blinking back tears. "Will you let me finish?" she asked, her words making them both recall his proposal, and her acceptance.

There was a trace of tears in his eyes as well, when he smiled and told her, "Sorry."

"Nothing could make me happier," she repeated, trying again to explain, "unless it was the king coming home, and making everything right again. But we both know you need me, where I do the most good."

"But if I can find someone else?"

"Someone to help you...to help us?"

He nodded, his long bangs sweeping his eyes. "To help England."

They both knew it wouldn't be easy, and yet, Marian believed, as she stared into his kind, handsome face, Robin could work wonders.

She smiled. "Find a spy, find a priest, and then...we can get married."

"Now that sounds like a plan."

Happy again, they kissed, reminded again of their engagement. Their kiss today, however, was warmer, more passionate as they also remembered last night.

"I do want to go to Bonchurch, Robin," she told him. "It wasn't only to keep you from fighting Gisbourne."

"I have to fight him, Marian."

"Can't you just move your drop point?"

"I will, after I teach him a lesson."

She knew they would never see eye-to-eye concerning Gisbourne...at least not until she could get them to work together, against the sheriff. She felt herself so close to accomplishing that unlikely event...she only hoped Robin wouldn't find his new spy, until she'd worked wonders of her own.

An inspiration hit her...a "dream," her father would call it. What if Guy became Robin's spy, until the king returned? It was a wild inspiration, but nothing was as it used to be, and who could tell what next might happen?

_Allan could help,_ she was thinking, before Robin's goodbye kiss drew her thoughts back to him.

The feel of his mouth over hers, the strength and feel of his body, made her long for Bonchurch. But first things first. She needed to deceive Robin again, even though she hated doing it, for his good, and for the good of England. If she couldn't keep her own determined man away from Gisbourne, then she'd just have to keep Guy away from Robin.

She had a plan of her own.


	6. Chapter 6

"Look, Guy, not bein' funny or anything, but couldn't we just head back to Nottin'am and tell the sheriff we tried his plan, without really doin' it? You know...tell him Robin shot at us before we got close to the drop point. Something like that."

For the last half mile on horseback, Allan a Dale had been trying to persuade his master to give up the sheriff's latest scheme to capture Robin Hood, without success. His latest suggestion awarded him a sneer so vile, a lesser man would have quaked in his boots.

But Allan had courage, and gall, to spare. "You know, Guy," he tried again, "I'm probably not far wrong. Any time now, Robin and his men will prob'ly be shootin' at us. For all we know, they're hidin' behind the trees now, watchin' us."

"_You_ will do as you're TOLD," Gisbourne snapped at him. "Is this how you obey _my_ orders, whenever you come back with your lying excuses for failure? I'm sick of you trying to protect your friends!"

"Look, Guy, I wouldn't mind this plan, if we were given guards to back us up. But just us? Against all Robin's men?"

"You told me there were only five!"

"Yeah, well five's a damn sight higher than two!"

"There won't be five today. There will only be Hood."

"How do you know?"

A man of few words, Guy of Gisbourne wasn't used to having to explain things to those beneath him. Nervous and fearful about their mission, yet longing to trap his enemy, he hoped to shut Allan up by filling him in on the details of the sheriff's plan. Besides, he'd already shouted too much, if indeed, Hood and his miserable gang of outlaws were anywhere nearby.

"This is why you will be disguised as a leper," he explained.

"I thought that was to hide my face, and you know, get Robin's sympathy."

"That, and to frighten the others away. Only Hood, with his pathetic bleeding heart, would dare get close to a leper."

"I'm not so sure about that, Guy. Remember that time Joseph was poisoning people in Nottin'am, and everyone thought it was the pestilence? The whole gang followed Robin to Pitt Street, except for me. I was helpin' you, with Roger of Stoke."

"Hood made them!"

"Naw, he didn't. He always gives us a choice."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Allan realized his mistake. He hadn't meant to say it...he wasn't sure why he had. But one thing was sure. The smouldering look of hatred and suspicion coming from Gisbourne's eyes, proved that he'd heard it too.

"Us?" Gisbourne asked, drawing out the word like a snake hissing.

"I didn't mean that! Look, Guy, I'm with you now!"

"Really? Your words, and your actions, tell a different story!"

With a hiss of steel, Gisbourne unsheathed his sword, forcing Allan to beg for his life.

"Guy, look, I'm on your side! I'm your right hand man! I'm loyal to you and the sheriff! I got nothin', workin' for Robin! You give me money, and a..." _What was the way Giz always put it?_ "...a pathway to power and position! Why would I follow a loser, instead of you?"

Allan waited for his words to sink in and take effect. But would they? Should he turn his horse around, and run? Or try to fight Guy? But luckily for him, he didn't need to do either.

Without warning, Marian appeared out of the trees. The chestnut bay she was riding reared up upon encountering them, throwing her to the ground, where she lay, looking stunned.

Allan, having seen her land on her feet after being thrown from a horse before, correctly guessed she had staged the entire act. But Gisbourne wasn't so wise.

"Marian!" he cried, leaping from his saddle and rushing to her.

_And this makes the second time you saved my life, _Allan realized, wondering what else she was up to, risking Guy's anger when she was supposed to remain in the castle.

She was doing a fine job acting the hurt, stunned, helpless maiden, lying on her back in the leaves, with her hair fanned out around her face. Allan, with his eye for the ladies, figured she'd easily persuade Guy to abort their mission, when all his words had failed.

"Marian," Guy called frantically, "are you alright?"

"Guy," she said, her voice sounding weak and helpless, "I disobeyed you. I only wanted some fresh air...a ride through the forest. I'm sorry."

"I need to get you back to the castle," Gisbourne decided, falling into Marian's plan so easily she almost felt ashamed. "You," Gisbourne ordered, pointing a finger at Allan, "lead her horse back with your own. And not a word about this to the sheriff." Softening his tone, he told Marian, "I'll carry you on my horse, on my lap if I have to. Can you sit up?"

"That won't be necessary. I can ride my own horse back."

"No," Gisbourne decided. "You're too weak. You will ride with me."

Marian couldn't stifle her gasp as he swooped her up in his arms. The look on his face made her uncomfortable, having changed from one of concern to something decidedly warmer. She closed her eyes, shutting him out, yet she could feel his breath, warm on her face.

"I can ride behind you," she suggested, having done so once before without having to touch him.

"No," he insisted again. "You're too weak. You'll ride before me. You can lean against me, Marian, all the way home."

"No," she argued, dropping her weak tone and opening her eyes. "I'm fine now. I'll ride pillion."

It would be better not to ride her own horse, she realized, since her goal was to get him out of the forest, away from Robin. If she seemed to recover too quickly, he might decide to continue the sheriff's plan. But if he felt obligated to take her back to Nottingham, and if she discovered she had a concussion when they arrived there, he would miss his opportunity of meeting Robin at the drop point.

"You're being kind, taking care of me," Marian told him, believing what she said, and feeling that reinforcing his few acts of goodness with encouraging words was the way to make them multiply. "I'm sorry."

He thought she was apologizing again for disobeying him, but in her mind, she was sorry for deceiving him. She was deceiving Robin as well, she realized, a crime far worse in her estimation. But her plan was working. Gisbourne was leaving the forest, and he and Robin would not get the opportunity to kill each other. At least not today.

Riding slowly behind Gisbourne through the forest, she noticed a path that led toward Bonchurch, and couldn't help thinking of Robin's plan to meet there, away from the rest of the world. She couldn't wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Robin's face was beaming as he gazed lovingly at Marian, lying beneath him in the big bed in Bonchurch Lodge.

Moments before, she'd been as happy as he, but now, as the time to part grew nearer, she felt overwhelmingly sad.

As sweet as these stolen moments together were, and they were blissfully sweet, there would always follow the partings, the goodbyes, with no guarantee that they would ever meet again, since Robin was always one step ahead of capture and death.

Pulling him more tightly against her, Marian ran her fingertips down his back and side, then stopped stroking when one hand touched the raw, ragged flesh of the near fatal wound he'd suffered in Acre.

"I'll show you my scar, if you show me yours," Robin teased her, cheekily.

"So many wasted years apart," Marian couldn't help sighing.

Hearing her sorrow, Robin grew tender and apologetic. "I'm sorry, my love," he told her, his voice heavy with emotion. "I should never have left you."

As greatly as she appreciated his heartfelt words, she didn't want to discuss it. They'd hashed it out once before, when she lay dying in the cave. And months later, when he received word from the king summoning him back to the Holy Land, he surprised her by proposing marriage, choosing a life with her and duty at home, over duty to his king on distant shores.

"Robin, were you...were you in love, in the Holy Land?" she asked him now, surprising herself by her question.

The words had just slipped out, but yes! That _was_ something else that was bothering her, she realized...the obvious fact that he was sexually experienced. She wasn't jealous, she didn't think. Robin clearly loved her, but for whatever reason, she felt saddened that he had once belonged to another.

He was smiling at her now with that look he often gave her...that look of pure adoration. Softly, almost reverently, he kissed her forehead, then her eyes, her nose, her chin, her cheeks, landing at last to place a more lingering though still gentle kiss on her unhappy mouth. "I was," he confessed, passionately.

Marian felt herself stiffen. "What was she like?" she asked, feeling miserable. "Or was there more than one?"

"Only one," he told her, his voice meltingly soft. "I loved you, Marian, every day I was away. It's always been you. Only you."

She gave a little involuntary gasp, then found her eyes welling up with tears, as she smiled up at him, stroking his neck and lacing her fingers together through his hair.

"There was someone else, though," she guessed, feeling secure in his undying love, yet needing to know his past. "Archery isn't your only amazing talent, Robin."

He laughed, pleased to see her teasing attitude return, and with it, her confidence. "I was never amazing, until you," he admitted. "Love was never amazing, if you could call it love. And you'd be wrong if you did. It was weakness, Marian. I'm sorry."

She found she had to swallow before she could speak again. "Were there many women?" she asked.

He rolled over onto his back beside her, feeling ashamed and uncomfortable, and heaved a slow sigh. His eyes stared up at the ceiling, as he bent one well sculpted arm beneath his head. "A few, I guess," he admitted, wishing he didn't have to hurt her with his confessions. "Mostly on the way home."

"Were there any before, or since you've been back?"

"No, I swear it. It was only when I heard you were going to marry Aylesbury, which was all a mistake. I went out and got drunk, and then...paid for someone, in a brothel."

"Oh." She felt numb, not knowing how to feel. "I was never going to marry him," she said.

Robin rolled onto his side, then reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and pressing both their hands against his heart. "I know that now," he told her, reliving the desperation he had suffered from the false report, yet so glad now, that she was his. Lovingly, he brushed her hair back from her cheek. "But for nearly three years, I was sure you were married. And when I was heading home, I kept thinking how hard it would be, seeing you another man's wife. I was just trying to forget. Are you alright?"

She answered him with a kiss. "I tried to forget you, too," she said, feeling happy and light-hearted again. "Though not as enthusiastically as you did, it would seem."

"Sorry." He grinned sheepishly, then pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms.

"You're impossible to forget, Robin of Locksley."

"Never forget the outlaws," he smirked, grinning.

"I don't want to go," she moaned, knowing she had to.

Should he ask her again to rejoin his gang, he wondered. He didn't want to pressure her...she knew her own mind, and made her choice based upon higher principles than their own desire to be together. But he wanted her with him so much, and her time with his men had been cut short, by Gisbourne finding them together in the tree. In the end, only his eyes appealed to her to stay with him.

"I need to get back," she stated, steeling herself for their parting. Sitting up in bed, happily unashamed of her nakedness before him, since his eyes told her how beautiful he found her, she searched for her clothing and began dressing herself. She smiled when she noticed again the pair of slippers by the unused fireplace.

They were men's slippers, embroidered with "M's," and Robin had teased her when she arrived, easing her nervousness, by claiming they were his gift to her. "Poor Much," she smiled now. "Isn't this his house now?"

"It will be, if all goes well," Robin admitted. "You don't mind, do you? When I promised it to him, I never thought I'd be taking something away from you."

"He's earned it. Besides, what would we do with two houses? Neither one of us even owns one now."

An idea took hold in Robin's mind, brightening his smile even further.

When the king returned, and he and Marian were married, he'd have Knighton Hall rebuilt, just for her. In his mind, he could picture her surprise and happiness, when he showed her her childhood home restored.

He wanted to do wonderful things for her, kind, loving things, to make her as happy as she made him.

...

Parting had been awful, but Robin's good humor returned by the time he set foot in camp. He seemed to be walking on air, thinking of Marian.

"Where have you been?" Much asked, in a tone both worried, relieved, and accusatory.

Robin answered with a grin and a shrug. He wouldn't dare tell Much he'd been to Bonchurch, nor what he and Marian had done there.

"I knew it!" Much proclaimed to all the gang. "Didn't I tell you? He's been with Marian!"

Djaq threw Much a look warning him to be still, while the others went about their business.

But Much couldn't let it go. "Did she tell you what she was doing, riding with Gisbourne on the back of his horse?" Much asked.

Robin felt he'd been punched in the gut. "What?" he asked, his eyes wide with anger and surprise.

"We saw her, didn't we, John?" Much continued. "Ask Little John if you don't believe me! Earlier today, before you disappeared for such a long time, missing your dinner I might add, we saw Gisbourne riding through the forest, with Marian seated behind him, on his horse. So, what I want to know is, did she tell you what she'd been up to, while you two were spending so much time together, or were you just gathering honey?"


	8. Chapter 8

Like Robin, by the time Marian reached her own lodgings in the castle, she had lost her sorrow at parting in lovely thoughts of her beloved.

Gone completely were any lingering doubts or feelings of guilt about giving herself to the man she loved. For although she'd certainly "lost her virtue," she felt she hadn't lost anything, but rather gained something. She felt empowered, loved, bold and strong, and more happy than she could ever remember feeling.

"Marian!"

Gisbourne! Just as she was about to enter her chambers, Guy appeared, striding toward her down the lonely, otherwise deserted corridor, filling it with his massive shoulders and his dark presence. Quickly, Marian tried to make it appear she was just leaving her chambers, rather than entering them.

"Guy! I was just...going to look for you! I wanted to thank you, for seeing me back here, safely."

"I came to see how you're feeling."

"That was kind. I'm quite well. Thank you."

Gisbourne studied her carefully, letting his eyes roam over every bit of her. She didn't look any worse for her fall off her horse, he noted with relief. Instead, she looked extraordinarily well...blooming like the flower she was, in fact. Gisbourne felt his blood course warmly through his body, and heard the sound of his own breath grow loud and labored.

He wanted to take her here...now, while they were alone together, high in the castle turret, take her roughly against the grey stone wall and claim her as his own, once and for all. But he knew she'd never allow that, and in spite of everything, he found he still wanted to please her. The door to her chambers was slightly ajar, and Gisbourne could see her bed within, beckoning to him.

"Marian," he breathed hotly, certain she'd no longer refuse his offer of marriage, once he'd taken her maidenhead and her incomparable body. "Be with me."

Before she had time to stammer out a refusal, a lightning quick arrow shot through her window and slammed into the door jamb near them, throbbing noisily until finally becoming still. Marian's heart skipped a beat.

Robin's signal! He was below, in the marketplace, and he needed to see her, now! Her heart began beating faster with anticipation and excitement, but how would she explain this to Guy?

She didn't have to. Gisbourne formed his own explanation.

"Get down!" he roared, throwing Marian to the flagstone floor in the corridor and slamming her door shut. "Hood's trying to kill you! GUARDS! Hood's in Nottingham!" Pointing a finger at Marian, he ordered, "Stay down! Don't move until I return!" Then, running away, she heard him shouting, "Guards! Search Nottingham! I want every available man after Hood! There will be no rest until he's caught, and in my hands!"

"Then there will be no rest at all," Marian muttered through clenched teeth, rising and rushing into her room, to quickly dress herself in her Nightwatchman costume.


	9. Chapter 9

Even as he fought off wave upon wave of castle guards, Robin reproached himself in his mind. How could he have allowed himself to be so distracted by jealousy as to disregard his safety, when so many people relied on him to help them survive? The image of Marian riding behind Gisbourne on his horse, on Robin's horse actually, for wasn't Etalon born in Locksley's stables, had stolen his reason and driven him to Nottingham to confront her.

Wending off sword blows with his bow and well placed kicks, Robin still couldn't banish the image Much's words had painted in his mind. Why had she done it? She must not have had a choice! Unless... Anger made Robin see red, when he guessed Marian had used her charms to keep Gisbourne away from the drop point, to avoid a direct confrontation with him.

When would she ever learn that Gisbourne was a dangerous fiend, made even more dangerous by his obsession for her? "I can handle Gisbourne," she'd once told him, only to find herself bullied into agreeing to marry the traitor! And what about the times he'd stabbed her, once on her arm and the other in her liver? She wanted Robin to trust her, and he was trying, but she didn't realize the danger! She was intelligent and astute, so why not?

_"But she's also stirred by me." _

Robin could almost hear the arrogant, bragging tone in his enemy's voice, could almost see the triumphant sneer on his face. Blinded by jealousy, he had to force himself not to draw his sword and kill his guard attackers. Fighting his way through them, he broke free, to dash toward the sewer pit, and safety.

Throwing his legs over the ledge, he held his breath and jumped. But instead of landing at the bottom in the stinking slops and muck below, halfway down he slammed into a heavy iron grate, trapping him in the shoot.

_Allan!_ Robin knew immediately who was responsible for blocking his escape!

_What to do? Think, Robin, think!_ Stomping and jumping on the iron grate under his feet, he tried to kick it loose, but it wouldn't budge. He could think of no way out, not even half a plan, to escape the onrush of castle guards who laughed and spit down at him, trapped in the narrow, slimy shoot.

"Oh, very good!" Sheriff Vaisey crowed, jumping up and down in glee, while pushing his way through the guards to peer down at Hood. "Gisbourne! For once, I think you've earned your pay, and your boy, too! Take a look at what we've caught! Oh, yes...yes! This is good! This is good!"

"Hello, Sheriff," Robin called cheekily up. "Sorry to drop in on you like this! Now, if you'll send down a rope, I'll be on my way, and you can get back to your birds."

"The only rope you'll get, Hood," Gisbourne sneered down, "is the one to hang you with!"

"Very good, Gisbourne!" the sheriff approved. Robin could see both their hated faces peering down at him, the sheriff gleefully laughing, while Gisbourne stared with a look of smug, sneering hatred.

"Do you know, Gisbourne, hmm," the sheriff crowed, lifting his voice for all to hear. "The trouble with Burgundy wine is, you can't keep it, hmm, you can only borrow it! How convenient the sewer's right here, hmm? Excuse me while I take a piss!"

Robin shut his eyes and mouth tightly and turned his face to the wall when he felt a warm stream splash over him. But the sheriff wasn't done. He began toying with Robin, holding and then releasing himself, spurting gust after gust over Robin, laughing all the while. "All finished! A clue...no! There's more!"

"How much wine did you drink?" Robin called up, when he was convinced the sheriff had no more. "The River Trent can't hold as much liquid as you!"

"Still cheeky as ever, I see, Hood," the sheriff called down, in satisfaction. "Even my little shower can't stop your cheek! Well, let's see how cheeky you'll be, when you suffer what I have planned for you!"

"Try me," Robin challenged.

Hidden behind a stall, the Nightwatchman watched and listened to the exchange. She wished now she wasn't disguised. If she could appear as herself, she might be able to convince the sheriff to leave Robin trapped in the shoot, and then, she'd convince Allan to help her free him! Making sure no one was watching, she pulled off her mask and scarf, then undid her vest to reverse it.

But she was too late. The sheriff's guards were already hauling Robin out of the shoot, binding his wrists and ankles, and throwing his body face down in the dirt. "Hood! You naughty, dirty boy!" the sheriff cooed. "I must give you a little spanking, hmm?" And Marian watched, horrified, while the sheriff slapped Robin's backside over and over again. "Cheeky, cheeky, cheeky!" the sheriff cried, growing more and more excited. "Oh, such pretty little cheeks! This is good! This is good!"

Gisbourne, who unfortunately knew first hand why the sheriff was so excited, overcame his disgust by kicking Robin in his ribs. Then, seizing the fallen outlaw's bow, he began brutally beating him with it.

Redressed at last, Marian rushed to them, panting. "What is going on here?" she shouted, furious at Guy for his brutality.

"We've caught Hood!" Gisbourne announced, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Congratulations."

Marian, not knowing what else to say, was at least thankful the beatings had stopped.

"Kill him now," Gisbourne begged the sheriff, not wanting to risk another escape. "Let me do it. Marian, turn away."

"No, Gisbourne!" the sheriff ordered, to Marian's vast relief. "Not yet! I haven't had enough fun with him yet. Do you hear me, Hood, hmm? You and I are due to enjoy a little date, before I let Gisbourne take his own form of pleasure on you! Guards! Bring Hood to my chambers! There's something up there I want to show him!"

Wrongly guessing what the sheriff meant, Gisbourne's sneer turned from one of triumph, to one of disgust.


	10. Chapter 10

"_This _is what you wanted to show me, Sheriff? Sorry to disappoint you, but I've seen your birds before now. In fact, I've climbed up their cages to escape you. Shall I do it again?"

Robin, tightly bound and heavily guarded, put on a display of cheerful cockiness while Sheriff Vaisey proudly showed off his collection of caged birds. Gisbourne, tense lest Hood should escape, and Marian, tense in case he couldn't, had accompanied the sheriff to his bedchamber.

"Oh, but Robin my friend," the sheriff cooed, gleefully, "how can you, with your wrists and ankles bound? But don't despair! You haven't seen everything yet! Gisbourne! Stop making sheep eyes at your leper friend and remove the cloth from my latest cage!"

Obediently, Guy of Gisbourne strode to the center of the cages and tore away a heavy black cloth, uncovering a new, unusually large birdcage, smaller than the massive one the sheriff had used to display money, but larger than any of the ones holding birds.

Marian felt her stomach twist in knots when she guessed the sheriff's scheme. She knew firsthand the sheriff's ability to humiliate those who opposed him, yet it would take more than mocking Robin by caging him like a bird to defeat his spirit. All the same, she felt a sense of dread, not wanting to witness the man she loved being further hurt and humiliated by those she hated.

"Surely, my lord sheriff," she begged, "we would all be safer, locking Hood in the dungeon!"

"So that he can escape, AGAIN? A clue, Missy...no! I prefer to keep Little Robin Redbreast here, along with my other birds, caged where I can listen to him sing! And you _will _sing, Hood, and tell me where you've hidden my PACT!"

"You know where it is, Sheriff," Robin continued charmingly, grinning as if he were the sheriff's guest instead of his prisoner, though hatred and defiance lurked behind his smiling eyes and in the set of his jaw. "I put it back where you found it. Besides, trust me, you don't want to hear me sing. I've a worse voice than Gisbourne, even."

Guy turned and snarled at him, furious at Hood's flippant charm, when he ought to be trembling with fear. He couldn't believe the sheriff was planning to lock Hood in an oversized birdcage, when he could kill him and be done with him forever!

"My lord," he begged the sheriff, "why keep him alive, when you told me yourself you wanted him dead?"

"Patience, Gisbourne, patience! Oh, I do want him dead! Think what poetry it will be, hmm, to watch him die, only slowly...slowly! You know how I like to starve my birds for days at a time, Gisbourne, hmm, so that they sing better? Well, now that I've caught Robin here, I intend to put him fully under my control, which is all I've ever wanted from you, Hood. Did you know that, hmm? All I've wanted, from the first day you sauntered into my Council of Nobles, smug and saucy and late, was for you to bow to my authority! Is that so much to ask, hmm? A simple wish, really, but one you refuse to give me! And now, NOW I have you under my control, and you WILL bow down, before you die!"

"I'll never bow to you," Robin answered, his eyes no longer friendly, but hard and murderous. "And if I do die, my men will continue to fight for justice, and hold onto your Pact, and show it the king when he returns."

"Well, blah dee blah dee blah! Guards! Lock him in his birdcage, and put the blanket over it! If that's the way you sing, Hood, you're right, I don't want to hear you! There will be no escape for you this time, Hood, and no food or drink, either, and we'll see how long you last, among all my other feathered friends! You'll learn to respect authority, Hood, MY AUTHORITY, and soon, you'll be singing another tune! GUARDS! I want two men stationed within, and two outside my chambers, at all hours! Gisbourne! On second thought, leave his cage uncovered! We wouldn't want him to somehow disappear, hmm, without us seeing! And before we go, Missy, give Gizzy a little kiss! It's so romantic up here, surrounded by all my love birds!"

The sheriff watched Robin's reaction, and was satisfied. "Oh, yes! This is good! I thought so! Touched a nerve there, didn't I, Hood, hmm? Well, be prepared for more. This may turn into Gisbourne's favorite wooing spot! Oh, yes! This is good! This is good!"

Marian tried not to look at Robin, picturing his hurt, questioning, accusing eyes. Instead, she focused her mind on how she could help him escape.

She couldn't do it alone, she knew. She needed help from his gang, and from a person closer. Filing out of the room with Guy of Gisbourne at her heels, she excused herself and went in search of Allan.


	11. Chapter 11

Marian was far too distraught over Robin's capture to notice the amused gleam in Allan's protruding blue eyes as she demanded his help to free the outlaw she loved.

Despite Marian's desperation and Robin's danger, Allan couldn't help snickering inside over the secret his friend Daisy, the good-natured castle laundress who was always ready to share a laugh and a quick harmless tumble, had told him the day after Nottingham had nearly been burnt to the ground.

_"Gisbourne finally took Her Ladyship's cherry," _the laundress had coarsely laughed in his ear. _"I washed away the proof off her bed linens this morning."_

As interested as Allan had been to learn the news, he knew Giz had nothing to do with it, and realized the immediate danger to Marian, should Daisy's tongue wag to anyone else.

_"Daize, do me a favor,"_ he had implored her, laying on his charm._ "Protect your pretty neck, and keep your news mum. __Giz still wants her to be Lady Gisbourne, and not bein' funny, but he wouldn't want it to get out that his bride made hay before the wedding, if you know what I mean. I couldn't answer for what he'd do, if word leaked out. It might be, you know, gruesome."_

It would indeed be gruesome if Giz learned the truth, Allan knew, but not for Daisy. His mind was already inventing a score of lies to protect Marian from Gisbourne's wrath.

"Are you going to help me?" Marian demanded now, more agitated than Allan had ever seen her, bringing his mind back to the present.

"Look, Marian, it's not my problem Robin got himself caught. What was he doin' sneakin' around Nottingham anyway, without the gang? I thought Much wouldn't let him come here alone anymore."

"Does it matter?"

"Naw, I'm just curious."

"You have to help him! You're the only one who can distract the guards away from their posts!"

"Is that all you want me to do?"

_No doubt about it, _Allan couldn't help thinking, admiring the flush on Marian's cheeks and the glossy sheen in her hair. _Robin was one lucky bugger!_ "Alright, I'll do what I can," he told her, not wanting to risk his neck too much. "The rest is up to you."

"Thank you!" She appeared truly grateful, then shifted immediately into rescue mode. "Now, the sheriff has ordered two guards to keep watch outside his rooms, and two inside, guarding Robin's...cage." While she was talking, she had removed her vest and was reversing it, to disguise herself as the Nightwatchman. Allan couldn't help grinning when she first began undressing. "What is so funny?" she asked, dousing his enjoyment with one of her proud, withering looks. Confident he at last grew serious enough for their mission, she continued. "Distracting the guards would be better, but if you can't manage, are you prepared to fight them alongside me?"

When he hesitated, she almost shouted, "I saved your life once! You owe me!"

"Yeah, you saved me from Robin! What makes you think I should risk my life, to save his?"

"Because he's worth it!"

Allan froze, stunned by her words.

_"You get the glory, you get the girl, everyone loves you! And when the king comes back, house, property, a wife. And what will I get? Nothing. You were always in the sun, Robin, and I'm always in the shade." _Allan couldn't help feeling bitter, remembering his confrontation with Robin at the Trip. It was all true, and now, Robin had had the girl. It wasn't fair, and yet, he felt he could die for Robin. And then, another memory struck him.

_"It's too late, Allan...miles too late."_

The memory of Will's rejection still stung. It hadn't be easy for Allan to humble himself and ask to rejoin the gang, but his bond of friendship toward Will had felt every bit as strong as ever, when they had stood side-by-side, waiting to defend Nottingham against Prince John's army. But Will had proved every bit as hard and unbending as Robin, when it came to ideals.

Yet Allan was finding it impossible to argue with Marian's passion. The good part of him, the part inside that loved Robin and all the "lads," triumphed over the part of him that sought to help and protect only himself. "Yeah, alright," he agreed, somewhat grudgingly. "You know how I enjoy a good fight with angry guards."

"Talk them away from their posts, and it won't need to come to that."

_Maybe Robin isn't such a lucky bugger after all,_ Allan was thinking, as he made his way toward the sheriff's chambers. _Who'd want to put up with all her expectations and demands, the rest of his life? _

Allan knew the answer to his own question...Robin. Robin shared Marian's desire to always improve, to strive for the best in themselves and in the world around them. Robin thrived on her expectations, just as she thrived on his challenges to make the world a better place for all. They seemed to be made for each other, and now, Allan was thinking, at least they were enjoying it.

"You can enjoy, if we can keep you alive," he whispered to Robin under his breath, before striding toward the guards with a wicked grin and a string of lies on his lips.


	12. Chapter 12

"Not bein' funny, but the sheriff stuck the pair of you with one helluva boring job! Guardin' his door, when two of your mates are already inside, guardin' Robin Hood! Oi! Either of you gents fancy a wager? You know, just to pass the time?"

Allan felt every bit as pleased to make use of his "tavern trickster" cups as the two bored guards felt glad of the distraction. In an instant, they put aside their attention to duty and began straining their brains, trying to guess which cup moving under Allan's quick sleigh-of-hand might be hiding the coin.

But they were never to know. Before Allan had the chance to reveal that their guesses were "unlucky," the Nightwatchman sneaked from the shadows and bashed the guards over their heads, knocking them senseless.

"Oi!" Allan exclaimed, equally annoyed by Marian's haste as he was amazed by her strength and nerve. "You might at least of waited till I collected on my bet!"

Hidden under her mask and scarf, Marian's only response was an angry, impatient flash of her eyes. Didn't he realize they didn't have time for this? Robin was being held prisoner within the next room, locked in a birdcage! At any moment, the sheriff might return, and Heaven only knew what might befall her handsome hero then!

The daggers in her eyes worked. "Alright," Allan agreed, grudgingly. "But after this, we're even. I won't owe you my Gran in her nightie, even if you once saved my life."

_Robin saved your life first, _Marian wanted to shout. _Have you forgotten that?_

But Allan was tugging on his doublet, readying himself for Step Two of their plan.

"You!" he cried, cracking open the sheriff's door and calling the two guards stationed inside. "Somethin's happened to your lookout!"

Predictably, the two guards watching Robin's cage looked at one another, then left their posts to clump to the corridor, where their fellow soldiers lay unconscious on the floor.

"What happened?" one of them asked.

"Don't know," Allan lied. "One moment they were up, and the next-"

The Nightwatchman wasted no time. Allan watched in amazement as Marian swung a heavy staff, striking first one guard and then the other on their heads, bringing them down to form a human pile on the hard stone floor.

"Remind me never to cross you," Allan muttered, wiping his brow. But Marian was already inside the sheriff's room, pulling on the lock on Robin's birdcage.

Every muscle on Robin's body hurt. The blows Gisbourne had dealt left ugly purple bruises, yet Robin's muscle cramps hurt worse. The birdcage was so small, Robin had no room to stand or even stretch. Marian's heart went out to him when she saw him sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, resting his head on his folded arms.

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked, his first rush of joy fading as he worried over the danger she faced by coming to his rescue.

No longer caring whether her identity was safe, Marian ripped her mask and scarf from her face. "Where's the key?" she demanded, frustrated and impatient at being unable to spring the lock.

"Try a hairpin," Robin suggested. And then, remembering Much's information about her riding behind Gisbourne on his horse, he couldn't help snarling, "On second thought, why don't you check Gisbourne's pockets? I'm sure the gallant Sir Guy wouldn't mind you digging around in them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, furious and incredulous at his jealousy.

From his post guarding the door, Allan shook his head. "Look," he mentioned, trying to sound casual. "You two can argue later, unless there's something better you can think up to do together. Right now, you oughtta figure out a way to get him out, before these guards wake up."

"You're keeping strange company, Marian," Robin said angrily, glaring back and forth between Marian and Allan. "First Gisbourne, and now, his dogsbody! Why didn't you bring my men?"

"There wasn't time!" Marian shouted, so frustrated she had to fight back tears. "But if you're going to be so unreasonable, Robin of Locksley, I wonder why I came here to rescue you at all! This lock won't budge!"

"No, it won't. Don't you think I've already tried breaking it?"

"The same way you're breaking my heart?"

"Breaking your...? How am I doing that, Marian? I'm not the one riding off alone with your enemy, if you had one!"

"I do have one...two, really! The sheriff and Gisbourne are my enemies, too, Robin!"

"The sheriff, I believe. But Gisbourne? I think you make excuses for him. I think...I think you harbor feelings for him."

"Feelings! Grow up! And how dare you say that, after everything we've been to each other? You need to trust me, Robin!"

"I do trust you! But I don't trust him, and I think you do! When are you going to learn, he's a killer, Marian? Someday, he's going to do something to take you away from me!"

"He couldn't! I love you, Robin, far too much! Gisbourne will never separate us! Stop doubting me, please."

Moved, Robin stretched one hand through the bars of his birdcage and clasped her hand. "I never will again," he promised. "I'm sorry, my love. I only wish you'd keep away from him."

"I might as well be living in the forest if I did that! How else can I feed you information, if I don't learn it from him?"

"What about Allan?"

Allan's ears perked up at the mention of his name. "What about me?" he asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Marian told Robin gently, ignoring the other man. "He knows far less than I do. Guy doesn't tell him anything!"

"Wise decision. Even Gisbourne knows he can't be trusted."

Robin's snide words stung worse than Allan could have expected. "At least I sleep in a bed, and not a birdcage, or on a slab in the forest!" he accused, angrily defending himself. "I eat real chicken whenever I want, not rat or squirrel, disguised as chicken! And the money I earn I keep, not throw away on ungrateful slobs, who take you for a sucker! Oh, sure, some of the poor love you, which is what you want, but even more of them use you, Robin!"

"If they use me, it's because they don't have any other hope, thanks to you and your masters! Besides, it's better than using-"

"Stop squabbling!" Marian insisted. "The guards are waking up! Allan! Knock them on their heads again!"

"Not bein' funny, but it's too late," Allan told her. "The sheriff's almost here!"

It was true, for they could hear Vaisey approaching, whistling as he came. To protect himself, Allan threw himself to the floor and lay sprawled just inside the door, pretending that he too, had been knocked unconscious.

"Hide, Marian!" Robin ordered urgently. "Whatever happens, the sheriff mustn't catch you!"


	13. Chapter 13

Sheriff Vaisey's whistle died on his lips when he spied Allan and the four guards stationed to guard Robin Hood lying senseless in a heap outside the open door to his private chambers.

"Get up, you blithering oafs!" Forcefully, the sheriff kicked the human pile as he screamed, certain Hood had somehow escaped, yet again.

A step or two behind the sheriff, Gisbourne threw back his head and bellowed a furious, frustrated roar, then took out his rage by delivering a series of kicks to his "boy," who was already scrambling to his feet, crying, "Oi! What did I do?"

"Kick him again, Gisbourne, and I swear, I won't answer for what I'll do to you."

Robin's voice, dripping with threat, made everyone freeze.

Hiding under the sheriff's bed, Marian held her breath, surprised that Robin had stood up, at least figuratively, for Allan. But her amazement was nothing, compared to the sheriff's and Gisbourne's.

"Oh, very good!" Vaisey crowed, peeking through his door to look at Robin in his cage, yet fearful to enter, lest Hood's men leap out and attack. "It appears, Gisbourne, hmm, that we arrived just in the nick of time! It seems Little Robin Redbreast hasn't flown the coop after all!"

Without a word, Gisbourne drew his sword. He, too, believed Hood's men must be nearby, ready to fight. Sneering, he ordered Allan and the four dazed guards to draw their weapons and stand ready.

"So, Hood," the sheriff called triumphantly through his door. "Sorry to have interrupted your little rescue! A clue...no!"

"That's alright, Sheriff," Robin called jauntily back. "I like a challenge. It will only make my escape all the more satisfying, not to mention your consternation, when you find me gone."

"Where are they hiding, Hood?" Gisbourne snarled, cautiously stepping into the room with his sword pointed before him. "Where are your men?"

The fear and anxiety Robin felt for Marian's safety was not evident in the jesting tone of his answer. "I don't know, Gisbourne! But I do know I'll kiss them when I see them, for working against you!"

Marian, too, felt frightened. Why had she chosen this hiding place? She felt trapped, like a rabbit in a bush, surrounded by a pack of snarling, slobbering hunting dogs, watching Guy's feet prowl slowly around the room. Yet it had seemed natural to duck under the bed, when she heard the sheriff coming.

Years before, when she was small, she had surprised her kind, gentle father by hiding under this very same bed, when these rooms and their furnishings had belonged to him. Of course, there weren't any birdcages then, nor human skulls holding candles. And the painting over the safe pictured Saint Francis of Assisi protecting the animals, not a haloed, crazy-eyed Sheriff Vaisey with his falcon.

Missing her father now, Marian recalled his surprise when she had crawled out from under his bed, calling out, "Surprise! It's me!" He had been busy, preoccupied with affairs of the shire, yet he had laughed and held her on his knee, pleased with her childish joke.

But this was no joke now. At any moment, Gisbourne might lift the bedcover and thrust his sword under the bed. She could barely breathe as she watched his thick, spurred boots step carefully through the room. If only she could stay hidden, until they were satisfied no one was here, and the sheriff and Guy departed! But they didn't leave her that choice.

"No one's there!" she heard Allan lie to a guard, far too close to her hiding place. "Not bein' funny, but I already checked!"

But the guard paid Allan no heed. To Robin and Marian's horror, the guard bent over, lifted back the bedcover, and peered under the bed. "Oi!" he cried, just before Marian kicked him in his surprised face.

There was no time to lose. In an instant, the Nightwatchman rolled out from under the bed, raced to the door, pushed her way past a stunned sheriff, and disappeared down the corridor.

"The Nightwatchman!" the sheriff screamed, once he'd caught his breath. "After him!"

Breathless, Sir Guy of Gisbourne led Allan and the four guards in hot pursuit, leaving an extremely relieved Robin, who had every faith that Marian would get away, alone with the sheriff.


	14. Chapter 14

"The Nightwatchman did you a disservice. Did you know that, Hood, hmm? I wanted to keep you caged up much longer, and toy with you first, but now, thanks to that goody two shoe's interference, I will have to give in to Gisbourne's demands, and kill you straight away. What do you think of that, Hood, hmm? Personally, I find it a pity, really. I was so looking forward to the entertainment, watching your pretty little body writhe in pain."

Sliding a stubby finger and thumb up and down a stinging wand, the sheriff circled Robin's birdcage, accenting his "toy with you first" by a vicious slap to Robin's face.

As undaunted by the welt rising on his cheek as he was by the sheriff's threat, Robin answered, "Given a choice, Death sounds far more welcoming than any 'toying' you'd want to do to me, you murderous swine."

"Oh! Name calling! I'm hurt! A clue...no! Is that the best your clever little tongue can do, Hood, hmm? I'd have expected something far more stinging."

"I told you I wasn't much of a singer, Sheriff, when you locked me up. Let me out, and I'll do much better."

"Oh, this is good! This is good! What are you proposing, Robin, hmm? This isn't the first time you and I have enjoyed a little tete a tete in my bedchamber, yet you always leave me disappointed! Yet I think you want the same thing I do, hmm? Why else did you point an arrow in my face, and another time, a long, pointed dagger? I understood your little hints, Robin, my friend."

"Is that how you and Gisbourne spend time together? I'll be sure to mention that, the next time I see him."

"Jealous of Gisbourne, Hood? Don't worry, his buttocks aren't half as tight and saucy as yours!"

Robin wondered if the sheriff was drunk. Vaisey seemed far too open about his proclivities, which were widely rumored, but never confirmed.

The last thing Robin wanted was to confirm them. Yet he had to use his advantage, if indeed, it were true. At this moment, it seemed his only hope of escape.

"I always guessed you admired the back side of me, Sheriff," he said, hiding his queasiness behind a false swagger. "They're a bit sore now, crammed in your birdcage, with no room to move."

"Not as sore as I'll make them, Hood! Oh, yes! I have all kinds of ways to inflict pain on your other pretty little cheeks!"

"It's too bad you can't, isn't it?" Robin threw the sheriff a disarming grin, then continued, "But with me locked up, it looks like I'm out of your reach."

Narrowing his eyes, the sheriff sneered, "You're slipping, Hood! Do you really think I'd fall for your transparent little plan to escape? A clue...no! As tempting as you are, and part of your charm is you know very well that you're tempting, I prefer to watch you die, than risk any pleasurable delight I might have in hearing you scream first. For I'll still hear you scream, Hood! If you won't sing for me, like my other birds, you will scream!"

"I doubt it. I was once tortured in the Holy Land, by Saracens. I didn't scream then."

"Oh! But they don't have my mental capacity to think up pain! Do you remember Joseph, hmm?"

"Poison, Sheriff? And you claim I'm slipping! You'll have to do better than that, Vaisey, if you want to hear me scream. Even you managed only a few muffled moans, when you drank from Joseph's cup."

"I'm not talking about his scientific concoctions, oh, no! I'm reminding you how he screamed, when the two of you went tumbling out my window! Remember that, Hood, hmm?"

"I remember the rush I felt, slashing your banner all the way to the ground."

"Not quite all the way, Hood. I was still hoping you might break an ankle, once my banner ran out. But thank you for reminding me. This time, when I shove you out my window, there will be no banner, and you'll have no dagger, either! Oh, no! it will be just you, Robin, alone with the wind, and we'll see then how well you can fly!"

Wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye, the sheriff sniffled, then said, "So moving...so touching! I feel like a mother bird, pushing her baby from the nest! A clue...no!"

Robin's mind raced, trying to think of a plan to escape. The sheriff meant to empty him from his cage, out the window. Was this the way he would die, with no chance to fight back? He was glad Much wouldn't be here, to see it. But Marian would.

Marian! What would she do, when he was dead? He longed to send her a message, telling her again of his love, and asking her to go to his men in the forest, away from the threat of Gisbourne. But there wasn't any time, or method, to tell her.

Cackling with evil glee, the sheriff dragged his birdcage toward the open window, scraping its bottom on the stone floor. While Robin prayed silently for a miracle, Vaisey struggled to lower the cage out the window, suspending it just below. Securing the chain on its top to a post inside his room, the sheriff almost danced to find the key, then hooked it to the end of a pole so he could reach the lock.

"Ready to stretch your pretty little wings, Robin, hmm?" the sheriff asked, drooling with excitement. "Let's see, shall we, how well you can fly."


	15. Chapter 15

It was too easy.

Despite his cramped muscles, Robin managed to grab hold of the bars of his cage, and instead of spilling to the ground when the sheriff flung open the door, he held on, then pulled himself up and over, scrambling hand over hand over the cage and up the chain suspended from Vaisey's window.

"NO!" the sheriff screamed, then fought to undo the chain to make Hood drop to his death.

But Robin, strong, quick, and nimble, reached the sheriff's window and flung himself in feet first.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Sheriff," he said, with a cocky grin and a swagger. "I prefer my _eggs _scrambled, not myself."

"GUARDS!" the sheriff shrieked, before Robin wished him, "Pleasant dreams," silencing him with his fist.

Robin knew he needed to run, but there was something he needed to do first. Quickly, he opened every birdcage in the room, smiling as he watched the birds fly through the open window, to freedom.

Once outside the sheriff's rooms, dashing through stone castle corridors, Robin found himself pursued by castle guards. Every turn down every hallway brought more guards, but still Robin raced on. He needed to get out, before every possible way out of the castle was sealed.

Breathlessly turning a corner, he nearly collided head on with a body blocking his way. Pulling back his fist, he stopped mid-punch when he recognized Marian, still disguised as the Nightwatchman.

"Follow me," she urgently whispered through her mask and scarf.

"No, it's too dangerous," Robin objected. "You can't be seen with me!"

"Don't be a fool! Robin, I'm disguised!"

"Run! I can't let them capture you!"

"They're sure to, if we continue to stand here arguing! We don't have time for this! Are you going to come with me, or not?"

Robin didn't want to add to her danger. His only thought was for her to get away. But he was forced to agree to her plan when two groups of guards converged on them.

Weaponless, Robin fought harder than usual. He wasn't fighting only for himself, but for Marian. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he noticed her doing a spectacular job of fighting herself.

In almost no time, the floor lay littered with unconscious guards. "Come on!" Marian hissed. "I know a hidden corridor!"

The sound of trampling footsteps running toward them decided Robin. "Lead on," he told Marian, to her great relief, pride, and satisfaction.

A dark, narrow corridor led to a spiraling flight of steps, so steep and narrow, Robin found their ascent thrilling. And somehow, before he knew it, they emerged in Marian's bedchamber.

Robin's jaw dropped open, while Marian tore off her Nightwatchman disguise. "How did you...?" he asked, still incredulous about the secret passageway up to her room.

"How else do you think I escape, as the Nightwatchman?" she asked, reversing her vest, before shaking down her hair.

She looked so beautiful, with her hair cascading down, she made Robin forget all the pains his body had recently suffered. Wearing a wicked grin, he approached her. "You're clever, Marian, as well as brave and beautiful. And this, as I recall, is my very favorite hiding place!"

Before she could open her mouth to object, he turned and laughingly dove under her bed covers. With just his head in sight, he teased, "Of course, it's no fun at all unless you join me."

_No doubt about it, _she was thinking, _Robin of Locksley, you are the most exasperating man in the world!_ He had barely escaped, and now he was joking! _Exasperating, yet irresistible_. Part of her wanted to smack his face for his impudence, and part of her wanted to smack his lips, with her own. He lay there chuckling, ignoring his danger and the welt on his cheek. But when she hesitated, his mood changed.

"I'm only playing," he told her, sincerely, leaning up on both elbows. "I'm sorry, my love, if I offended you."

"Don't get up," she told him. "Someone might come in, and we mustn't let them see you, must we, Robin? It _is _the safest place for you to be, right now."

The smile he gave her managed to be both shy and inviting, and it won her far stronger than his former cocky grin.

"Well, that sounds like a plan," he said, his voice a warm whisper.

Smiling, Marian gave a quick glance over both shoulders, making certain they were truly alone, before joining her handsome outlaw in bed.


	16. Chapter 16

Marian's eyes were shining as she eagerly helped Robin peel his shirt off his back. But when she saw the black and purple bruises splashed across his lean, strong torso, she drew back, and her face grew sad.

"It's nothing," Robin assured her, answering her pitying look with one of his irrepressible grins. "Kiss me better?"

"I hate Gisbourne," she muttered, lightly outlining one particularly nasty bruise on Robin's ribs with a gentle fingertip.

"Now that's music to my ears."

Robin could tell that the sight of his injuries had completely spoiled her mood, and he wanted to repair it, as much to restore her happiness as her passion.

"Hey," he soothed, his voice soft and comforting. "Don't worry about me. I'm alright."

Unable to resist holding her, he reached and pulled her close, hiding a wince when she bumped against a bruise.

"How can he be so cruel?" Marian wondered, disappointed and disillusioned yet again by Guy of Gisbourne's brutality.

Feeling triumphant, Robin had to force himself from sounding overly smug. "It's who he is," he answered, stroking her hair. "But do we really want to waste our time, talking about Gisbourne? You know as well as I, Marian, if we do, we're bound to argue. And I, for one, have better things in mind to do today, alone here with you."

She might have surrendered to the feelings coursing through her, brought on by him lifting her hair off her neck so he could kiss it. While his other hand fiddled to undo her vest, she heard herself scolding, "Don't."

Utterly surprised, Robin stopped. "Marian?" he asked, trying to search her eyes, though their gaze evaded his.

"Don't talk to me, as if I'm some loose woman you bought and paid for in Acre."

"I didn't! Did I? I am so sorry! I never meant...! I love you, Marian! I respect you!"

"And I'm not some silly girl, who trips over her broom every time you throw her one of your dazzling smiles!"

Robin grew more confused. He recalled Kate, the potter's daughter in Locksley, tripping over her broom every time he wished her a simple, "Good morning," but he didn't understand why Marian should give it a second thought. "What is this really about?" he asked.

Rather than reply, Marian suddenly changed the subject. "How did you escape?" she asked, ignoring his searching gaze. Robin let it go, glad to feel her relax, and gladder still when she lay back again in his arms, though it hurt a large bruised area on his side.

He still burned for her, yet he was happy to wait until she was ready, even if it meant waiting until their distant wedding night. Any time spent alone with her was precious, and Robin chose to savor every moment.

"It was simple," he boasted, beginning to enjoy talking, along with the added attraction of holding her close. "I think the sheriff was drunk, Marian! He made the mistake of unlocking my cage, after first lowering it out his window, allowing me to climb out and up, back into his rooms, and let's just say, I helped him sleep off the effects of all the wine he'd drunk."

"You punched him? Good."

"And then, I freed his birds."

"Robin! You didn't! That's wonderful!"

"I'm glad you agree."

She was beginning to wish she hadn't refused him, yet there was one more thing she needed to clear up, before she could lose herself completely in his love.

"As much as we'd both like it, Handsome, you can't stay here forever, you know."

"Can't I? Don't tell me you're tired of me already," he teased.

But Marian wasn't joking. She was quite earnest, worried over the bruises her eyes kept studying as well as his need to escape from the castle.

"Don't worry, my love," Robin softly assured her, sensing her mood. "I have a plan."

"What is it?"

He chuckled, pleased at her impatience to know. "Do you remember the arrow I shot out that window, so you and I could climb out, the day you joined my gang?"

Marian bit her lower lip and nodded. Even now, after months had passed, she found herself close to tears, remembering the day her father had died.

Robin saw her grief, and grew more tender still. "I'll tie some linens to an arrow, and make it look like I escaped out a window...not yours, this time! That way, everyone will stop looking for me, and I can get away, when you're really ready for me to go."

"Such as five minutes ago?" she teased.

He was glad she could smile at him again. "When you were angry at me?" he asked. "Why were you angry, Wren?"

"I don't know. I'm not angry now."

She was granting him permission to kiss her, he knew, and he wasted no time doing so. And then, she was granting other permissions, urgently, silently, and he listened, and obeyed.

With hammering, joyful hearts, they gave themselves blissfully to each other, forgetting their quarrel, forgetting his bruises, forgetting the world, until the world intruded, stealing the moment from them.

"Marian!" Gisbourne's voice, accompanied by the sound of his fist pounding on the door, made Robin first freeze, then tighten his arms around her, shielding her with his body.

"Marian, are you alright?" Gisbourne called through the door.

"Guy?" Her voice came out a squeak, sounding nothing like herself. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to see if you're alright," Gisbourne answered, his voice somewhat muffled through her door. "Hood's still in the castle, and after he tried to kill you earlier today, I need to know...! Let me in, Marian!"

"You wanted to know when I'd be ready for you to go?" she whispered urgently to Robin. "I love you, but the time is now! Go!"


	17. Chapter 17

With a mixture of relief and regret, Marian watched Robin hesitate, then snatch his shirt and disappear through the tight, secret staircase in her room. She knew that he hated to flee, and that the only reason he didn't stay and boldly confront Gisbourne, was to protect her.

Furious at the interruption, she felt she must look a mess, and hastened to correct the appearance of her bed as well as herself. Her vest lay somewhere, discarded among her sheets, and her shirt hung loose over her, untucked. In her trousers, she felt she looked too much like the Nightwatchman to fool even Guy, who was still pounding on her door. Grabbing a robe, she shoved her arms through the sleeves and pulled it closed around her, before crossing the room and yanking open her door.

"What do you want?"

Gisbourne drew in his breath, surprised by her ferocity. "I...I needed to see that you were unharmed," he answered, his voice low and apologetic.

"You see it. Now go."

Marian couldn't forgive him for the bruises his kicks had placed on Robin's body, even if he was showing her that "other side" he professed to have. At this moment, she didn't care for his potential toward goodness. All she saw, as she glared into his eyes, was the vicious, brutal killer who enjoyed inflicting pain, who wanted Robin dead.

"Is this a new habit of yours, Guy?" she asked, bitingly. "Knocking on my door at all hours? It had better stop."

"Or what?" he sneered, no longer apologetic, but angry at her defiance.

How dare she, a mere woman, a prisoner really, but for his mercy, speak to him in such a tone? If she were already his wife, he would strike her and teach her her place.

Marian caught the threat in his manner and immediately shifted her own. "Have they captured the outlaw?" she asked, her voice betraying her fear.

Just as quickly, Guy's mood softened. Mistakenly, he believed her fear stemmed from Hood's presence in the castle, rather than from his own brute strength. "I told you, Marian," he said lowly, treating her as if she were a small, wayward child, though seeping with primal sexual desire. "He's loose."

"I...I didn't hear you, through the door." She paused, uncomfortable by his breath hot on her face, while he leaned over her. "Shouldn't you be after him?"

A moment passed, and another, and another, while Guy seemed to stare through her robe. _You can see nothing, _Marian privately gloated. _I'm fully dressed under here._

Something, perhaps the defiant spark in Marian's eyes, made Gisbourne remember himself. "Yes," he agreed reluctantly. "I only came to to be certain you were safe."

The smile she threw him looked sincere, and slew him yet again with its sweetness and its charming dimples. "Thank you, Guy. I am, as you can see. Goodnight."

Quickly, she closed the door, shutting out his lust and his hopes for the night.

The smile lighting up her face really was sincere now, when she saw Robin emerge from the stairwell.

"You were supposed to go," she told him, pleased that he hadn't.

He didn't tell her he'd felt compelled to stay and eavesdrop on her conversation with Gisbourne, to possibly protect her. Instead, he merely grinned back at her. He hated that Gisbourne was so obsessed by her, believing she was playing with fire without realizing the danger. One day, he worried, Guy of Gisbourne would grow tired of his masquerade of playing the gallant gentleman, and try to take her by force.

"I've a better idea," he told her, winningly. "A better plan, Marian. Come with me, back to the forest. Wait for me to shoot that arrow out a window, fooling the guards, and then, after everything settles down, we can both escape, together."


	18. Chapter 18

There was nothing Marian would have liked more, other than welcoming King Richard home to England and celebrating the event by marrying Robin. But she didn't waver. She knew what Robin was asking was impossible.

"Just as I told you before, dear, in the tree," she gently explained. "It's not what I want, but what I have to do. I have to stay here."

"But why?"

Robin's handsome face looked so appealingly sad, pleading with her to accompany him back to the forest, that it took all her will to refuse him.

"If I go with you now, Gisbourne will think you abducted me, especially when he sees your arrow dangling from a window. He'll stop at nothing to find me. My going will put you in danger...put all your men in danger, Robin!"

"But we're in danger now! We've always been! And Gisbourne, fool that he is, cannot find us. The way I see it, Marian, it's you who are in danger, alone in this secluded tower, with Gisbourne slobbering at your door! One day he'll show his true colors, and then...!" Urgently, he closed the few steps between them and took her protectively in his arms. "Come with me, my love!" he pleaded. "Come away now."

It was where she belonged, she knew. Resting her head on his chest, she could feel his heartbeats communicating his love for her, could smell the earthy scent of the forest on his warm skin, could believe in his pure, strong sense of goodness. All were calling her to join him, to leave the cold dreary world of the castle and the evil that ruled within. But she felt convinced that if she did, the poor would immediately suffer, and Robin would die.

"When the king returns, we'll be together," she told him. "Until then, even though I cannot go with you, nothing can truly keep us apart. My heart is always with you, Robin of Locksley. It's always been, even before I can remember."

Their kiss was achingly sweet. Moved by her words, Robin nonetheless felt compelled to convince her. For a moment, he pictured himself carrying her off against her wishes, abducting her the way she'd mentioned. It was tempting, but he respected her far too much to carry out that plan. "One day, he'll do something to hurt you," he warned, his voice catching in his throat at the thought of Gisbourne's treachery.

"Rubbish," Marian insisted, kindly. "I can handle Gisbourne. And you saw how well I fought off the guards today."

"You were impressive. But Gisbourne is no clumsy castle guard, Marian. Even I was challenged, fighting him."

"I've beaten you."

"When?"

"On two occasions."

Robin chuckled snidely, snickering at her boast. All the recent tenderness between them disappeared, replaced by a fierce competitive challenge. "You've never beaten me," he argued, smugly.

"What about the time I was the Nightwatchman, and you thought I was shooting people? You didn't know who I was. We fought, and I won."

Robin did not like to be reminded. "Hardly," he scoffed. "It was the roll down the hill that finished me, not you."

"A trained soldier shouldn't let terrain hinder him. I certainly didn't."

"Don't forget, I trained you! And you said two occasions. When was the other?"

"A few weeks ago, when we were both disguised, and we fought at night, in the forest. You thought I was Allan."

"You lie like him."

"How dare you? I lie only because I have to, to help you help the poor, and defeat the sheriff!"

"I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about you claiming you beat me. I won that battle, Marian. I only stopped fighting because I didn't want to kill you, or Allan, to be more exact."

"You didn't win!"

"I did! You just can't admit it!"

"Alright then, Locksley, prove it. Fight me now."

In answer, Robin snickered again, annoying Marian even further.

"I can't fight you," he said with a chuckle.

"Because I'm a woman? Or because you know I'll win?"

"Because I'll hurt you, and I can't allow myself to do that."

"You can't admit I'm a better fighter than you."

"I could subdue you in two moves."

"Show me."

"No."

"Show me. You say you can do it. Prove it."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't care! Are you going to prove what you say, or not?"

Reluctantly, but unable to resist her challenge, Robin agreed. Both of them had enjoyed their argument, and both looked forward to their fight.

"Alright," Robin said, grinning wolfishly. "Ready yourself, and come at me."

Just as he'd bragged, it took only two moves to subdue her. When she charged, he grabbed her by her wrists, then kneed her in her gut, bringing her to the ground. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking down, pleased to have won but regretting having caused her pain.

"Isn't it time you left?" Marian snapped, more angry than hurt.

She hated that he'd beaten her so easily, especially since she knew he was hurt himself, with the bruises Gisbourne had dealt him.

"Will you come with me?" he pleaded, once again.

"What? So you can humiliate me, in front of your men?"

"I never! Marian! You begged me to fight you!"

"The way I see it, since I'm only a woman and can't fight-"

"I never said you can't fight! I said you can't beat me!"

"May I finish? Since I'm only a woman and can't fight, I'm far safer here in the castle, than being a part of your gang, in constant battles with guards and other allies of the sheriff! Besides, you never gave me a tag!"

"I gave you a ring!"

"Would you like it back?"

"Marian!"

A knock at her door stopped their words. "Gisbourne again?" Robin hissed, through clenched teeth.

"Go!" Marian ordered, in a whisper.

Frustrated, Robin disappeared yet again down the secret stairwell, but not fast enough for the person knocking on Marian's door to miss seeing him. For in her anger and impatience, Marian pulled open her door before Robin had gotten safely away.

"Not bein' funny," her visitor quipped, staring over her shoulder as a brown form seemed to disappear into her wall. "But you two need to hold it down. I could hear you arguing all the way at the Trip!"

**(Note: The second fight Marian mentioned occurs in my story ALLAN AND THE MONK. I based it on an actual Robin Hood Legend called The Ballad of Maid Marian, in which Marian, missing Robin, disguises herself as a boy and goes to the forest, looking for him. Robin is also in disguise, they meet, not recognizing each other, and get into a swordfight. Both lightly wound each other, and when they begin to speak, recognize each other's voices.)**


	19. Chapter 19

_Not bein' funny, but Robin isn't such a clever bugger after all, since he thinks arguing is a big time, all alone with you in your bedroom. Nice legs, and I hadn't meant the horse. Nice everything._

Allan held no desperate yearnings for Marian, the way Giz did. He admired her, and liked her as a friend, though not half as much as he liked Djaq, the most sympathetic friend he'd ever known. Marian and he were, after all, on different sides now, and she had a proud, imperious way that frankly frightened him, though he'd never admit it. But that didn't stop him from appreciating her obvious, alluring charms, and he felt Robin was a fool to argue with her, when they could be making sunshine, rocking the bed so hard it would bounce across the room.

"Just thought I'd warn you to keep it down," he said, grinning at the thought. "It might of been, you know, Giz walking by, instead of me."

"Thank you." Marian said it grudgingly. On the one hand, she appreciated his warning. But on the other, he had driven Robin away, before she had a chance to try his fighting moves on him, and...and afterwards, make up. But had he driven him away? Robin might still be waiting in the dark, narrow stairwell, just as he'd waited when Guy had knocked on her door.

One thing was certain. Allan needed to go, now. "Goodnight," she said brusquely, closing the door.

But Allan stopped her, shoving a foot between the door and the door jamb. "Whoa! I didn't give you what I came for! Not bein' funny, but I didn't climb all those stairs to your tower for my health! I think you oughtta know...Giz sent me to guard your door. With Robin loose, he thinks you need protection."

"Rubbish! Obviously, I don't."

Allan could tell how displeased she was...how impatient for him to be gone.

"Look, don't take it out on me!" he stalled. "I'm just followin' orders."

Through the crack in the door, he looked over her shoulder to the place where he'd seen Robin disappear, and his curiosity was peaked. Between once having been an outlaw and now, living in the castle, he thought he knew all the gang's ways in and out. But this was a new one, and he'd score points with the sheriff if he could make him wise to it.

He thought about forcing his way past her to get a closer look, and he'd have done it, too, if he didn't suspect Robin might be lurking, ready for another fight. And then, all of a sudden he felt Marian seize his wrists and knee him in the groin.

Allan dropped like a rag doll to the floor where he rolled about in pain, all curled up in a ball. When he could speak again, he moaned, "Oi! What was that for?"

"A warning of my own," Marian told him, tucking a triumphant lock of hair behind her ear. "Don't even think about telling Guy about the passageway to my rooms."

"Yeah, well," Allan complained, rising painfully to his feet. "I wasn't expecting that, or you couldn't of done it. That kind of move only works once, you know."

"I've other moves," Marian gloated. "Don't underestimate me. This was just a new one. Goodnight."

And so saying, she shut her door.

With pounding heart, Marian ran to the secret stairwell, expecting to see Robin reemerge from its tight entryway. She didn't need to try his fighting moves on him now...they'd worked better than she'd expected on Allan. Now, she was thinking, excitedly, they could go straight towards making up.

But Robin was gone, and her heart dropped.

Meanwhile, in the corridor outside her rooms, Allan, brushing off his knees, was annoyed. He could let a lot of things go, but one thing he hated was being made to look a fool. Years of being belittled by a drunken father had made him sensitive to anyone's jeers, and although Marian hadn't laughed, she'd definitely made him look a fool, when he was only trying to help her.

"I won't tell Giz, since you 'warned' me," he fumed. "Like I already planned, I'll go straight to the sheriff."


	20. Chapter 20

To Marian, Thursday couldn't come soon enough.

On Thursdays, Robin and his men wove through the marketplace, distributing coins or food or whatever they'd managed to steal to Nottingham's poor. Marian looked forward to the gang's visits every bit as eagerly as the poor did, if only to cast eyes on Robin. Usually, she was resourceful enough to do more than merely look at the man she loved...very often, she'd be able to steal a few precious moments alone with him, hidden behind the drapery of a merchant's stall. And this Thursday, she felt it was imperative she speak with him.

Robin was in danger, yet again.

When the sheriff regained consciousness and discovered that not only Hood, but all his other birds had "flown the coop," he went on a rampage. The smallest offense committed by anyone in the castle received a brutal punishment. Everyone, even Guy of Gisbourne, walked around with baited breath, waiting for the sheriff's wrath to explode. And when Allan revealed the narrow, hidden passageway to Marian's rooms, the sheriff targeted her.

"Oh, I'm watching you, Missy," Vaisey had menacingly warned her, before ordering the passageway sealed.

Luckily, Marian escaped with a warning. No one, after all, could prove that she'd ever used the stairwell. In fact, it had been far too easy to convince Guy that she was terrified by its dark, narrow steepness. And now, thanks to Allan's treachery, it was closed to her.

But what mattered more to Marian was the sheriff's new plan to capture Robin Hood.

_"If none of unwashed of this shire won't turn him in for a price,"_ she'd overheard the sheriff plotting, _"then I'll just have to set a snare further out! Gisbourne! Find me men who will ride to Lincoln...to York...to all points in between! Surely somewhere in this miserable kingdom, I can find a man with big enough...wits...to bring me Hood's pretty little body DEAD!"_

_"My lord," _Gisbourne had objected, _"how will this scheme work? We tried it with Carter, a trained assassin, and failed. I myself have tried, on numerous occasions, to capture the outlaw. And all the times we've had him in our power, he-"_

_"DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW, GISBOURNE, HMM? DO YOU THINK I NEED REMINDING? A CLUE...NO!"_

_"I begged you to let me kill him, when we had him here, under our control!"_

_"SHUT UP!"_

Marian had held her breath, wondering what the sheriff might do to Guy. It was strange...Guy was talking about killing Robin, yet she didn't want the sheriff to hit him.

_"Just do as I order, Gisbourne, hmm, and find me riders. And it would help if they knew how to read a road marker."_

And so saying, the sheriff had handed Guy a stack of parchments and had wearily marched away.

Immediately, Marian rushed toward Guy, desperate to know what was written on the parchments.

_"Five hundred pounds, for Hood's dead body?" _she'd asked, her stomach knotting as she read the horrible words. _"Hasn't the sheriff tried this before?"_

_"It won't work," _Gisbourne had answered her. _"The sheriff is desperate. No one in Lincoln or York...no one anywhere can bring that fiend to justice."_

_"Justice?"_

The word, so often on Robin's lips, had sounded strange, coming from Guy. She hadn't meant to repeat it, sounding so incredulous, and her doing so aroused Guy's suspicions.

His eyes had narrowed as he studied her. Thinking quickly, she changed the subject. "_The sheriff is mad," _she told Guy again, hoping to convince him. _"There must be some other way to accomplish all you want to achieve, than by following him! You're strong, Guy, and brave. You don't need him."_

She could tell that Guy was moved. It was a difficult situation for her, needing to convince him, without building on his already overwrought feelings towards her. _"We're friends, Guy," _she felt compelled to remind him. _"I don't like the way he treats you."_

_"He brought me out of nothing," _Guy had snapped at her, emotionally. _"My father had lost everything!"_

Marian remembered gasping. It was the first time Guy had ever mentioned to her any member of his family. Placing a tentative hand on his arm, she'd said, _"With the right help, with the help of good men, you can achieve all your goals and dreams. This could be your chance, Guy, your chance to be a good man."_

And Gisbourne, true to himself, had not answered her but had strode away, carrying the stack of papers advertising the price on Robin's head.

This had happened on Monday, providing enough time for some greedy killer from Lincoln or York to arrive in Nottingham, hunting Robin Hood. Marian needed to warn her lover, before he unsuspectingly walked straight into an assassin's path.

**(NOTE: For all you Robin Hood followers who are telling me that market day was on Wednesday, I defend myself by agreeing that yes, in the very first episode, Much mentions, "Where is everyone? I thought Wednesday was supposed to be market day," or words to that effect. But in the season opening episode of the second series, Robin tells the sheriff's sister when she's disguised as "Rose," "Be in the market on Thursday. My men and I will find you." So I figured the day changed.)**


	21. Chapter 21

Kissing him was so sweet, she nearly forgot her intention to warn him of the sheriff's latest plot. Safely hidden behind the hanging cloths of a market stall, they felt they could go on kissing one another forever, if there was only enough time.

"I brought you a present," Robin smiled down at her, his voice as soft and adoring as his gaze was passionate.

The freshly picked strawberries wrapped in a square of white linen looked juicy and sweet, but the thought of Robin in danger made the cloth resemble a blood soaked bandage, with its crimson stain of juice. Besides, there wasn't time to enjoy them! Marian wasn't tempted to taste a single berry, feeling a need instead to warn Robin of the new threat upon his life.

"Robin," she said, so intently he grew as serious as she. "You're in danger. The sheriff is offering five hundred pounds to anyone who can...who can kill you and bring him your body."

"Is that all?" he grinned, his mood playful again. "That's old news, Marian. He started with twenty, and it's grown steadily ever since. You're not thinking of turning me in, I hope! Five hundred pounds could buy you a lot of horse, making my gift today seem pretty paltry. No wonder you rejected my strawberries!"

"This is no joke, Robin! And I didn't reject your gift! We haven't the time to eat them, that's all! You need to be aware, any stranger could be hunting you. The sheriff sent notices to all the surrounding shires. Promise me you'll be careful."

Her concern filled him with tenderness. Putting down the strawberries, he took her in his arms and gently kissed her. "Don't worry about me. But thank you for the warning. I'll be sure not to trod on anyone's toes in the marketplace today."

"You'll be careful?"

"I won't take a step without looking over my shoulder first."

"Be serious! Someone could plunge a dagger into you, without you knowing it!"

"I'll be fine, my love. Stop worrying. Now, I was thinking, is there any chance you could get away, to Bonchurch? You could look after me there...keep me safe, until this blows over."

"Bonchurch? Robin, this isn't the time-"

Before she could finish, a small, dark headed figure darted between the hangings, into the stall. In an instant, Robin pushed Marian behind him, and stood ready to defend her. But he relaxed when he recognized Daniel, the former stable boy at Knighton Hall, now an honorary member of his gang.

"Sorry to interrupt," Daniel told them, puffing the air out from his chubby cheeks. "I thought you should know, there's a stranger in the market, asking what Robin Hood looks like."

Robin felt Marian grip his arm. "You see?" she asked.

He didn't want her to worry. He certainly didn't! In fact, he was intrigued, and amused. He only hoped he could get to the man first, before Much struck up a conversation with him. Peering through the drape, he said to Daniel, "Good work, lad! You _are_ my eyes and ears! Now, which man is he?"

"There!" a proud Daniel whispered, pointing to a bearded, middle-aged, sturdily built man in rich merchant's garb.

"Stay here." Pulling his hood up over his head, Robin threw Daniel and Marian a wink and a grin, then darted away from the cover of the stall, heading boldly toward the stranger.

Marian's heart tightened in her chest, and her, "No, Robin! Don't confront him!" was heard only by the boy by her side.

"You're his eyes and ears, too, milady," Daniel told her, comfortingly.

"We'll have to be his prayers now," Marian answered, draping an arm around the boy's small shoulders.


	22. Chapter 22

"Forgive me, my fine fellow! I didn't mean to trod on your toes! I blame The Trip, for serving such strong ale. You see, I'm more of a wine drinker myself, when I can get it. My name's Reynold, by the way...Reynold of Sheffield. And you, my fine fellow, are...?"

"Watch it, fool!"

Hidden behind draperies of a market stall, Marian and Daniel held their breath watching Robin caper before the burly, snarling, well dressed stranger who had surely come to hunt Robin Hood and collect the sheriff's 500 pound reward. If she hadn't been so alarmed, Marian would have rolled her eyes at Robin's performance, especially when she realized the affected tone of his voice was a perfect mimicry of Martin of Aylesbury, a young man who'd pursued her hand while Robin had been away at war.

"No need for hostility!" Robin continued, wearing an uncharacteristic, simpering smile. "Allow me to cut to the quick. I might be able to do you a favor, my fine fellow! You see, a little bird told me you were asking after that vile outlaw, Robin Hood, and I just might be able to help you, in that quarter. But first, tell me what you've learned. No, no! First, you must tell me your name."

"You know Robin Hood?" the stranger asked, dropping his threatening manner.

"Alas, I have had the displeasure of having my purse lightened by him on more than one occasion. I would be more than delighted were you to catch the rogue, so that honest gentlemen such as ourselves may roam in peace along the merry pathways of the shire."

Grudgingly, for Marian could tell the stranger despised "Reynold," the man introduced himself. "I'm called Ruthless Rufus, and yes, I have come to kill the famous outlaw."

"Ruthless Rufus! My, my! I assume your worthy parents didn't christen you such! At least, not the prefix!"

"You're right. I earned it. Now, you've seen the outlaw. What does he look like?"

"What have you heard?"

"Nothing much. The guards tell me he's 'slippery as an eel, and sly as a fox.' The men tighten their lips, while the women..."

"The women...?" Robin pursued, liking what he was hearing.

"The women sigh, those that don't glare at me."

At that, Marian did roll her eyes.

"No wonder," Robin smirked, happily. "For all his reputed nastiness, he is a good looking young fellow."

"Young? How young would you say he is?" Ruthless Rufus asked.

"Hmm." From under his hood, Robin appeared to be deep in thought. "He's rather about my age, I would guess."

"That young? Why, you're just a youth!"

"My fine fellow, I'm quite mature, I assure you. A man doesn't like to reveal his age, but I'm past twenty-five."

"How tall is he? How strong?"

Again, Robin appeared to lose himself in thought. "He's quite tall. 6 foot, I would say. Just as I am!"

"And big? Broad through the chest?"

"Not overly. Some claim he's overly slender, but I'd say he's just right! In fact, there are those who claim he's built like me!"

"Robin, no," Marian whispered, hating this dangerous game her true love was playing.

"Impossible!" Rufus sneered. "The outlaw's far stouter than you!"

"Is he?"

"He must be! Have you seen Sir Guy of Gisbourne? Robin Hood couldn't beat that man to a pulp, if he were only your size!"

"He has a bow, you know. He knows how to shoot it."

"I've heard he doesn't kill, that he once captured Sir Guy, and instead of killing him, challenged him to a fist fight. No man your size would have done that."

"Rumors, my fine fellow, rumors. But you say he beat Gisbourne to a pulp?"

"The outlaw had the advantage, barely. Now, stop wasting my time, and tell me something I can use!"

"Now, now! No need for violence! We're both gentlemen here, I think! Now, something you can use...ah! I have it! You, my ruthless fine fellow, are going about hunting Robin Hood all wrong! It's a simple matter really! All you need to do is travel along the Great North Road, and Robin Hood will find you! Believe me, he won't be able to resist, seeing you in such fine garments!"

"But doesn't he have a score or more of men?"

"Another rumor. Let me fill you in on a secret." Marian watched Robin look back and forth, then lean in to whisper in Rufus' ear. His whisper was loud enough, however, for her to hear. "He only has a handful," Robin whispered, his eyes twinkling.

Marian hated it that Robin was having such fun, baiting the stranger, in total disregard for the danger he was courting. She could see that Ruthless Rufus was losing patience, just as she was.

"Liar!" the man bellowed. "I've heard enough of your lies! He has three score, at least! Sir Guy has twenty-four men, and they can't catch him!"

"That's because Gisbourne is a fool," Robin couldn't help gloating, sounding like himself. "I'm telling you, if you want to meet Robin Hood, all you need to do is show yourself on the Great North Road. He'll find you. Don't tell me you're afraid! A man who's earned the right to be called 'Ruthless,' surely isn't afraid of an outlaw my size!"

"I'm not afraid. I'm just not stupid. But you are. I've wasted enough time with your lies."

Marian hoped this would end the meeting, but she was quickly disappointed.

At the precise moment Ruthless Rufus was turning away, Much came running up to join his master. "Robin!" he called, not thinking, as usual. "There you are! We've done it! We passed out the money! Can we go back to camp now, and eat? Oh! Who's your new friend? I'm Much, by the way."

...

**(Note: I borrowed the idea for this from the Howard Pyle Robin Hood tale called Robin Hood and the Tinker, in which a tinker is hunting for Robin, meets him unknowingly, asks what he looks like, and argues that he can't look as young or slight as Robin, who has explained that the outlaw looks like himself. When I read it, I could definitely see our lovely boy pulling the same stunt, while anticipating later robbing the man on the road. And in case anyone forgot, Ruthless Rufus is the character in the third series of the tv show, who temporarily replaces Gisbourne. Now, spoiler alert! Don't forget how he made Kate "dance" for him (shudder). He's about to try the same thing on Marian!)**


	23. Chapter 23

Bonchurch certainly looked deserted, with its closed shutters and its lonely yard, yet Marian held a hope that it wasn't.

Earlier, from her hiding place in the market beside Daniel, she'd heard Ruthless Rufus cry, "You're Robin Hood!"...seen him draw his dagger and lunge at Robin...watched as Robin leaped nimbly aside...heard the archer call to a confounded, befuddled Much, "Much, run!", and then, when the servant didn't, "Time to disappear!"...seen both outlaws dash and weave and fight their way through oncoming soldiers... witnessed their escape, and the rest of Robin's gang, through the town gates...and finally, covered Daniel's ears while being forced to listen to the vile stream of obscenities pouring from Ruthless Rufus' lips.

More than annoyed or irritated, Marian was angry at the unnecessary, dangerous game Robin had played, taunting the stranger. Leaping down from her borrowed horse and reining him to a tree still within the forest, she ran the rest of the way to the back of the hunting lodge, then entered stealthily through a kitchen window, just in case the front door of the house was under observation.

The moment her feet touched the floor, she knew. Robin had come, too, hoping that she had remembered his invitation, and awaited her somewhere in the house. Her heart quickened and began beating with something other than mere anger, though that emotion remained strong.

Leaving the kitchen, she entered the hall, then, taking a deep breath, climbed the stairs.

It was only afternoon, yet the house was dark, with its closed shutters blocking out the sun. It was so still, Marian could hear her heart pounding. Had she been mistaken? Was he here? A desperate yearning drove her toward the master bedroom, and her breath caught as she pushed open the door.

At first glance, the room seemed as deserted as the rest of the house, but a thrill shot through her, lighting up her face with a smile, when she noticed Robin's bow and quiver leaning against a wall in a corner. Candlelight flickered from the adjoining chamber where the bathtubs were, and she slowly crossed the bedroom toward its warm glow.

The room was flooded with shimmering candlelight, turning its bare walls into a place of enchantment. Steam rose from one of the two tubs, but what really looked enchanting was Robin, on his knees beside the tub, trailing his fingers in the warm, clear water.

When he saw her, he rose to his feet, tilted his head to one side, and gave her a grin that managed somehow to be both bold and sheepish.

"Seeing as how I'm already in hot water," he told her, his voice as alluring as the rest of him, "I was wondering...would you care to join me?"

A little half gasp, half laugh escaped Marian's lips, and she had to master herself to stay angry.

"What did you think you were doing?" she asked him, needing to hash things out before she could even think of...of joining him in a bath. "He might have killed you, Robin!"

"Ruthless Rufus?" He couldn't hide a snicker. "Never. I'm much too good for that!"

"I'm not disputing your combat skills. But you're a fool to throw yourself into dangerous situations, for a joke! Why do you do it?"

He did not wish to argue, and he could tell, in such a romantic setting, that for once, neither did she. She was angry at him because she cared...she loved him, and he only wanted to comfort and assure her.

"I'm sorry, my love. I thought I could lure him to a road in the forest, where my men and I would rob him. I kept thinking how surprised he'd be, when he learned I was telling him the truth, in my descriptions! I didn't count on Much spoiling the secret."

"Much!" she said, rolling her eyes. "All the same, you shouldn't go looking for trouble! Don't you face enough danger, as it is?"

"So says the beautiful Nightwatchman?"

"So say I, your betrothed. I'd like it if you lived long enough, Robin, so that I can be your wife."

"I love you, Marian," was all he could think to say.

"You look tired."

He did. There were dark rings under his handsome eyes, and she felt a tug at her heart, knowing how hard his life was, and how he carried the burdens of the poor on his strong shoulders.

"I can't sleep, for thinking of you," he admitted.

She drew her breath in again, and suddenly, they were in each other's arms, kissing.

The bath was wonderfully wild and sweet, and afterward, they munched on apples from the larder, talked and laughed and dreamed of the future, then made love a second time in Robin's big bed.

Afternoon turned to evening, and they savored the sweet, tender, intimate moments holding one another when their passion was spent. They both knew they had to go...his men, particularly Much, would be worried, and she would be missed. In fact, they'd stayed far too long, yet neither could summon the will to leave.

"We'll be together soon, I promise," Robin told her, gazing longingly into her eyes.

"Lardner must have delivered your message. Perhaps the king's on his way home, even now."

"Speaking of home..."

"I know. We both need to get back."

"I love you, Marian."

"I love you, too."

There was never enough time, she was thinking as she dressed, and yet, hope burned brightly, for King Richard would surely return soon.


	24. Chapter 24

"Marian, where have you been?"

"Guy!"

Never before had Gisbourne seen her lovely face radiate such happiness. He'd come upon her while she seemed lost in thought, in a world of her own daydreams, and when he'd broken the spell with his questioning suspicion, she showed none of her usual fluster, but only supreme happiness and confidence.

Guy wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. He enjoyed wielding power over her, especially her, and fear and intimidation were his easiest tools. Yet he was stirred by her clear eyes...by her bright smile.

Too often her smile, though charming, seemed forced, and her eyes guarded, as if she were harboring a secret from him. Of course, he knew she wasn't. It was only because she disapproved of the sheriff's plans, and his role in carrying them to fruition. Her pure woman's heart wouldn't let her understand the necessary means of forging a place in the world, securing power and position, power and position that would benefit her if she'd only put aside her wilfulness and agree to be his.

"Forgive me, Guy," she was saying now, radiating joy and kindness. "I didn't hear your question."

"I asked you where you've been."

"Am I a prisoner still, that I can't go for a ride in the forest without you questioning me? I thought, when I returned from Ripley Convent, that I was free to come and go as I pleased."

"You didn't return from the convent. You returned from being Hood's prisoner, after I rescued you. Why must you take your little rides through the forest, when you know that outlaw fiend wants to kill you?"

"I'm perfectly safe. I didn't ride anywhere near his camp."

Instantly, she realized her mistake, even before Guy questioned, "You know where his camp is?" And as she'd done before when speaking with him, she lapsed back into a fearful, flustered, helpless little girl. "I mean," she stammered, "I only rode on the edge of the forest."

She didn't need to lie to him, for once. Bonchurch was on the outer edge of Sherwood. But she resented her loss of courage, and his obvious pleasure at seeing her squirm.

"You're in an unpleasant mood," she told him, recovering her bravery, if not her earlier happiness.

Her cold, imperial tone flipped the balance of power between them yet again. Now she was in control, for he accepted her explanation about her ride, and he wanted to please her.

"The sheriff has a new plan to undermine me," he admitted, furious at Vaisey, and longing for Marian's sympathy.

A spark of hope lit her eyes like glittering sapphires. Perhaps this would be the day he finally changed sides, not yet joining Robin, but first working with her against the sheriff. Already, she could picture him on her side, and the two of them could easily bring along Allan, and then...who knew what might happen?

"He doesn't value you," she reminded him. "What is he planning now?"

Although thankful for her kind sympathy, Gisbourne put on his customary sneer when describing Sheriff Vaisey's scheme. "He's pitting another man against me, making me compete for my position. It's not the first time he's done it. Don't worry, I'll take care of him, the way I did the last time."

Marian held her breath. She remembered when the sheriff made Guy compete with another man to be Master of Arms, during that awful time when poor Joe Lacey was trying to kill the sheriff. And after she'd witnessed Gisbourne plunge his sword into Joe, on the sheriff's orders, she'd never seen the other man again. In fact, no one had, and no one asked questions. Everyone suspected murder, though she didn't want to believe it.

"Who is the man?" she asked, not wanting to think that his days were numbered.

Gisbourne sneered again, turning his expression ugly. "He's called Ruthless Rufus. A man of uncertain heritage." _Much like the sheriff, _he couldn't help thinking, despising Vaisey for his low birth.

"Then you've nothing to fear," Marian assured Guy. "I heard Robin made a fool of him, in the marketplace today."

"Robin?"

Gisbourne's snarled the name, throwing it in her face like a vile accusation.

"Hood," she hastily corrected herself. "Robin Hood."

She needed to be more careful, she urgently reminded herself. She was so much in love with the man, she was slipping, making dangerous mistakes. Tentatively, she placed a hand on Gisbourne's forearm, smiled into his narrowed eyes, and repeated, "You've nothing to fear."

Thankfully, her simple manuever worked. She saw Guy relax, then flush as a wave of...something washed over him.

"Marian," he breathed, "why do you continue to reject me?"

_Not this again. Take a deep breath, Marian, smile at him, and reassure him you are friends._

"Please, Guy, I told you I need time to grieve."

"When I found you today, you didn't look like someone grieving."

Ignoring his accusation, Marian forged ahead. "But I do...care for you, Guy...and I don't like the sheriff mistreating you. Why don't you...why don't you let this other man take over your job, and-"

"What are you saying?"

"Let him fail! He's no match for you! Let him try to catch Rob...Hood, and let the sheriff see how much he needs you! Don't you see, Guy? It's a perfect plan!"

It was perfect to her, the perfect way to get Guy to break his ties to the sheriff. Once he was away, she would work doubly hard to persuade him toward goodness.

"No, Marian," Guy told her, his patronizing tone indicating he found her a simple child. "I am not your father. I will never let anyone come along, and steal my position. But I will see Ruthless Rufus fail, or... In the meantime, I'll watch him. He's dining with us tonight, at the sheriff's table. We can both see what a base-born fool the sheriff's recruited."

With that, Gisbourne turned and strode away from her, leaving her hurt and seething at his offhand insult to her beloved father.


	25. Chapter 25

Marian didn't feel nearly as lovely as she looked in the gown the sheriff described as her "finest silks." If there was any way she could avoid the sheriff's dinner tonight, she would gladly go hungry.

And yet, she reminded herself, her observations of Ruthless Rufus might prove useful. The man was here to murder Robin, and although Robin didn't seem concerned, Marian took the threat seriously. If she could overhear his plans, she could warn Robin. Or better still, gain Rufus' trust, and lead him straight into a trap Robin could devise!

Determined now and with a spring in her step, Marian descended the steps to the Great Hall, casting her eyes about in search of Ruthless Rufus. She spied him sprawling in a chair beside the sheriff's, and was about to approach to present herself, when someone else caught her eye.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered to Djaq, who was posing as a serving maid in the same golden gown she'd worn during Count Frederick's visit. "Where's Robin? It's madness for him to be here!"

Djaq continued completely calm, taking time to slowly pour Marian a goblet of wine. "Robin is not. Only Will and I are here."

"Why?"

Clearly, Djaq's presence upset Marian, and Djaq set about assuring her that all was well. "Robin does not know we are here. He was tired and was sleeping. I convinced Will to come to speak with Allan, and ask him to beg for Robin's forgiveness, so that he may rejoin our gang."

Marian smiled to herself as she pictured Robin asleep on his forest bunk, but only for an instant. "You're wasting your time!" she told Djaq, rolling her eyes. "Allan won't beg, any more than Robin would ever trust him again!"

"Perhaps you are right. But I need to try."

"You're a good friend, Djaq. Where's Will?"

Not wishing to give the young carpenter away to any unfriendly eyes, Djaq merely glanced to the left and put down the wine ewer. Lifting her filled goblet, Marian let her gaze follow Djaq's, where she noticed Will Scarlet in a group of serving youths, looking intense and sober in the same shirt he'd worn the day he poisoned the sheriff.

"Why isn't he disguised as a guard?" Marian wondered out loud. "The helmet would hide his face!"

"This is better," Djaq assured her, wishing Marian wasn't quite so argumentative. "No one will know him. The sheriff hired additional serving staff from outside the castle, to impress his guest."

"To insult Guy, more likely. So much the better. Be careful, Djaq, and good luck with Allan."

Knowing she'd spoken far too long with the Saracen, Marian moved quickly away, only to be intercepted by Guy.

Luckily, he was too disturbed by the honors the sheriff was bestowing on Ruthless Rufus to have noticed how long Marian had spent talking with a "mere serving wench." Marian decided it would be wise to remind him what he already knew.

"The sheriff seems to be sparing no expense," she mentioned. "Has his guest caught Rob-... Robin Hood then?"

"No," Gisbourne sneered, "and he won't, either. The sheriff is doing it, Marian, as an insult to me."

"Then why follow him?"

"I have no other choice!"

"There's always another choice! There are good men, Guy, who could help you, who could let that other side of you take charge!"

She knew she was playing a dangerous game, yet she felt so close to converting him. For all his vile, brutal, murderous acts, she didn't want to see him hang when the King returned. She believed there was good in him, buried by the love he'd never had, and the abuse he'd suffered. What a worthy ally he would make, if he'd only choose to align with good men!

But she'd spoken too rashly. "What good men?" he sneered, studying her through narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"I don't know," she lied, staring innocently back at him. "Men who aren't the sheriff. Defy him, Guy. You're brave. Work against him."

"For what?"

"For the good of the people, and yourself."

"The people," he sneered. "You need to stop, Marian. I cannot protect you, if the sheriff gets word of your plotting."

"Is that a threat?"

"Stop."

She didn't cower when he held a threatening finger in her face. "You talk too much, Marian," he warned her, in his deep, breathy voice. And when he touched that same finger to her lips, she stood firm, even while she felt the passion within him cause him to shudder.

"Shall we pay our respects to the sheriff's guest?" she asked, meaning it as a dig. She felt angry at Gisbourne. It seemed so obvious to her, that he should turn away from the sheriff, and yet he would not.

Gallantly, though with a thinly veiled threat, Gisbourne offered his arm, and when Marian took it, she seemed to feel Will and Djaq's eyes boring through her.

She wondered whether Allan had seen the outlaws, and trusted he'd never betray their presence. Glancing about while Guy escorted her toward the sheriff's table, she saw Allan grinning at Djaq's cleavage, while Djaq's lovely dark eyes stared seriously back at him.

_Will can't like that, _she thought, hoping Will didn't have the same measure of jealousy Robin had.

"At last!" Sheriff Vaisey announced, when Marian and Gisbourne arrived before him. "I was wondering when you'd bat your big blue eyes before my honored guest, Missy! This is the new man of the hour, Ruthless Rufus! He's here to capture Robin Hood!"

"How do you do?" Marian asked politely, waiting for either the sheriff or Guy to introduce her, as courtesy demanded. The sheriff, of course, had no manners, but she'd forgotten how untaught and awkward Guy was in social situations, despite his noble birth. There was nothing to do but introduce herself.

"I am Lady Marian of Knighton. How are you finding Nottingham?"

"Better now," Ruthless Rufus sneered, lewdly looking her up and down. "I could use some entertainment. Dance."

"Pardon?" Marian asked, not thinking she'd heard correctly.

"Dance," Rufus repeated, in a tone both threatening and mocking.

"I would be pleased to dance with you," Marian lied, consoling herself with the idea that she could use him to protect Robin.

"Not with me," the man sneered, throwing one leg over the arm of his seat. "For me. Dance."

"Oh, this is good!" the sheriff crowed, enjoying her discomfort.

"I am not a performing monkey," Marian threw back, through clenched teeth.

"You heard my guest, Missy!" Vaisey shouted. "You will do whatever he desires, hmm, or suffer the consequences! Musicians! Strike up the band!"

"No music," Rufus coldly ordered. "I prefer to clap my hands...slowly." He began to do so, in a menacing, lustful manner, all the time staring at Marian, waiting.

"This is ridiculous!" Feeling trapped and angry, Marian turned to Gisbourne for help. "Guy!"

To her dismay, Gisbourne did nothing. His face looked tortured, as it had when he allowed the sheriff's guards to take her to Winchester, and just as he'd done that day, he allowed her to be "sacrificed" rather than defy the sheriff. And he claimed to love her!

Ruthless Rufus was still clapping his hands, waiting for her to perform.

"I will not dance," Marian stated, not caring whether she would be punished or not. Turning on her heel, she fled the room, catching Allan's worried eye as she darted away to the stables.

She had to get away, far away from Nottingham, to the clear air of the forest. And perhaps, she was thinking, with any luck, Allan and she might both rejoin Robin's gang tonight!


	26. Chapter 26

Much widened his round blue eyes and kept his tongue for once, then silently lifted the lid off a chest Will Scarlet had made to hold the gang's stolen treasures.

"There you are!" Much exclaimed happily, withdrawing a broad, red silk hat some frightened nobleman had lost while fleeing from the gang's most recent ambush.

Much liked to wear a bit of color, and this hat was just the thing, reminding him he would one day be Lord Bonchurch. At least, he hoped he'd be Lord Bonchurch. You never could tell, the way things were going. But at least he could wear the splendid hat upon his head now, while Robin slept.

Robin didn't like the hat. In fact, he'd warned Much not to wear it, claiming its brilliant crimson might attract unfriendly fire, as if any fire could be considered friendly. But Much was tired of wearing nothing but forest colors, even if Robin had been kind enough to give him his own green and gold vest.

Wishing his pots and cooking pans were shiny enough to show him his reflection, Much placed the hat upon his head and thought about Eve.

"You, for one, didn't object when I dressed fashionably," Much spoke out loud, though he had no idea where Eve might be.

The words were barely out of his mouth when an arrow buzzed by, caught the hat, whipped it off his head, plunging it at last into the trunk of a tree.

"Wha-wha-wha...?" Much stammered, his eyes and mouth open wide in fear and astonishment. Slowly turning his head, he faced Robin, wide awake and leaning on his bow, a look of pure mischief lighting up his handsome face.

"You!" Much accused, feeling the top of his head to make certain the arrow hadn't grazed anything but the hat. Everything seemed to be in order, with Much's servant's cap and everything under it untouched. "Very funny! I thought you were asleep!"

"I woke up!"

Before Much could object further, Robin loaded his bow with a handful of arrows and began firing them, one by one, placing a perfect circle of arrows into the hat, ruining it completely.

"Anyone up for target practice?" Robin asked, laughing at Much's consternation.

"Master!" Much fumed, indignantly. "That was my hat! I know you didn't like it, but-"

"Be glad it was my arrow, and not one of the sheriff's men's," Robin warned, in all seriousness. "There's a reason we try to blend into the forest, Much. What's for dinner?"

Much adored Robin, but there were times...! His master's breezy, pleasant tone was too much, after destroying that beautiful hat! And not only that, he didn't even stick around to hear Much's answer of "chicken," though it was just as well, since it wasn't.

"Unbelievable!" Much complained, watching Robin saunter away.

Robin swaggered over to Little John, expecting to hear the big man's boisterous laughter at the joke he just played on Much. But Little John looked subdued and depressed.

"What is it, John?" Robin asked, his own mood turning somber and caring.

Ever since John had brought the sheriff to their camp, he'd not been himself.

"You can't fight two enemies, John," Robin told him, kindly.

"I can fight ten!"

In spite of himself, Robin smiled. "I'm not talking about your fighting skills. I'm only saying, you can't fight the sheriff, and yourself. You did nothing wrong. You're a good man, John. Your thoughts are your own, but I won't let you reproach yourself any longer."

"Maybe someone should re...re...reproach himself!" Much muttered, from his place at the cooking fire. "Once in awhile, it might be a change!"

"Where are Will and Djaq?" Robin asked, noticing for the first time the young couple's absence.

"They said they were bringing a guest to dinner," Much was quick to answer, stirring the foul smelling contents of his cooking pot, "and I hope whoever it is, he's not too particular about his chicken. There's only so much white meat, never enough, I think you'll find, and the dark meat tends to get tough and greasy, no matter how well I season it!"

"What guest?" Robin asked, then caught his breath as his heart began pounding at the sight of an approaching rider. "Marian!"

On his lips, her name was a whisper, almost a prayer.

"I knew it!" Much proclaimed to Little John, who lost his hangdog expression to welcome their beautiful visitor.


	27. Chapter 27

One quick glance was all Robin needed, as he helped Marian down from her horse, to tell him how unhappy she felt.

He knew her well enough to see through her show of brave defiance, detecting the hurt, anger, and frustration she was trying so hard to hide. Looking deeply into her eyes, Robin felt waves of protective, sympathetic tenderness surge through him, and raging anger at whomever had hurt her.

_Damn you, Gisbourne, _he thought, waiting for her to unburden her heart. _What did you do to her now?_

His soul ached at the thought of everything Gisbourne had put her through these past several months...almost dying, almost having to marry that traitor, losing her home, losing her freedom, losing her father. It spoke volumes that she hadn't lost her spirit, her brave and beautiful spirit Robin so admired and adored.

"It's over," Marian passionately told him, trembling with rage. "I refuse to live another day among evil, spineless cowards. Robin, I'd like to...I'd like to be a part gang, again."

For a moment the world stood still, and then Robin drew her to him, enfolding her in a joyful, tender embrace. Resting her cheek against his heart, Marian felt all her tension melt instantly away.

This was where she needed to be...with the man she loved, the man whom her heart already called "Husband," the man whose courage, selflessness, and good deeds restored hope to the shire and strength to the poor. In this blessed, tender moment, she forgot that she was more help to him living in the castle, and that her presence here further endangered his life.

She felt his lips brush against her hair, and wanted them pressed against her own two lips. But the kiss would have to wait. Without seeing, both of them could feel Much's wide, unblinking eyes staring at them.

"Well, lads," Robin called out joyfully, forgetting the dangers Marian would face by belonging to his gang, "we have reason to celebrate! Marian here has agreed to join us, again! Much, I hope you've prepared something special for dinner!"

"I told you, it's chicken!" Much snapped, tugging his servant's cap over his ears.

Robin ignored his friend's obvious show of annoyance. He knew Much was jealous of his attentions to Marian, but it only bothered him slightly. Much would just have to get used to it! He ought to know how greatly Robin cared for him...would always care for him! After all, Much was the only person Robin had told about his and Marian's engagement.

"I suppose I'll need something else to wear," Marian said, her light, happy heart reflected in her lovely smile.

"I like that gown," Robin grinned back at her, looking as if he couldn't stop smiling. "It's exactly the right colors, for blending into the forest!"

Without her understanding why, she saw Robin throw a knowing look at Much, then wink at him before lifting his bow to fire an arrow into a scarlet hat stuck to a tree.

"Very funny!" Much complained, his mood lifting at Robin's wink.

"But it's hardly suitable for clashing swords with sheriff's men," Marian continued.

Her words were met with silence. Tension filled the air, brought on by the determined, unyielding look on Robin's face.

"Robin, you're not going to stop me from doing my part! You let Djaq fight, and she's a woman!"

"Where is Djaq, anyway? I thought you were the guest she and Will went to fetch."

"Me? Don't be ridiculous! They're bringing Allan! And stop trying to avoid the subject!"

"Allan?...!"

For the first time since Marian arrived, Little John spoke. "Traitor!" he bellowed.

Much could only stammer, while Robin began to pace. Marian followed after him, with little running steps.

"What good will I do here, if you refuse to let me fight?" she asked. "Anyway, you can't stop me!"

"We'll see about that! But why would they go after Allan, without clearing it with me first?"

"Oh, I suppose we need to clear everything with you first? You need to remember, Robin of Locksley, I can think for myself!"

"I have no objection to you thinking. It's fighting, I'm concerned about! And what do you know about Allan?"

"Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I'll stay in camp and cook your meals, while the rest of you stage your ambushes, and fight your battles! You saw me fight the sheriff's men! I took on as many men as you!"

Having no denial for that, Robin bull-headedly focused on the matter of Will, Djaq, and Allan. "What do you know, Marian, about Will and Djaq's plan to bring Allan here, as their guest?"

"Agree I can fight first, and I'll tell you! No, don't. I don't need your permission."

Robin had to turn away to hide his groan of frustration. It did almost nothing to relieve his anger, but he turned back to face her, folding his arms across his chest, mastering himself to appear calm. "Just tell me, Marian, please, what you know."

His simple "please" persuaded her. "Alright, since you ask. I spoke to Djaq at the sheriff's banquet. She and Will were disguised as servants. They were planning to speak with Allan, and ask him to come begging to you, for forgiveness."

"For-for-forgiveness?" Much stammered, outraged. "Unbelievable!"

"Traitor!" Little John bellowed, again.

Robin held up a hand to quiet them, while boiling over inside with anger. Why would Will and Djaq, usually so obedient, defy his orders and trust Allan? He knew they still loved the man, even as he did, despite everything, but feelings had to be thrust aside, when the betrayal was so complete.

Now that Marian had mentioned the banquet, the indignity she'd suffered there came back to her. "It was awful," she told Robin. "Ruthless Rufus demanded I dance for him, like a performing monkey, and Gisbourne did nothing!"

The eyes Robin turned on her made her catch her breath, and understand why his enemies feared him so greatly.

For the second time since she'd arrived, the air hung thick with silence.

When Robin spoke at last, his voice was so low, Marian had to strain to hear it.

"And did you expect Gisbourne to come rushing to your rescue?" he asked, with icy snideness. "Is that what you meant when you said you won't live among...how did you put it? 'Spineless cowards?' When you said, 'It's over?' What exactly is over, Marian? I didn't know, when I welcomed you back to my gang, you were here because of a lover's tiff!"

"How dare you? And you hardly welcomed me back, refusing to let me fight!"

Much and Little John backed slowly away, recognizing the signs of a true quarrel in the making.

"I told John earlier," Robin shouted, "he can't fight two men. I'm telling you now, you can't _love _two men! Not when I'm one of them!"

"Rest easily then, Locksley, since I don't love any, at this moment!"

"That's why you came here, isn't it? You were disappointed, because you expected the gallant Sir Guy to step in, and defend you!"

"What if I did? That's hardly a recipe for love!"

"It's an ingredient!"

"Ingredient?...!" She laughed scoffingly, as unconvincingly as she'd done when he'd accused her of being "stirred" by Gisbourne, when she lay wounded in the cave.

"You _do_ care for him," Robin said, his voice low and emotionless, bewildered and stunned.

Marian no longer felt angry...only hurt and worried. Why did Robin continue to be so jealous of Gisbourne? Surely, after all they were to each other, he could realize she only loved him!

He ought to know, and the thought of his doubts rekindled her anger.

"It seems I made a mistake," she said coldly. "More than one, lately. Goodbye, Robin."

Much's jaw dropped when she turned to walk away. Robin grabbed her arm, but let go when she shook him off.

"So you're choosing to go back, then?" Robin asked, in disbelief. "You're choosing Gisbourne?"

"I'm choosing to walk away from you. That's all. Goodnight."

To her disappointment, he let her go. She wanted him to grab hold of her again, and beg her to stay.

She should have known better that he wouldn't.

On her way out of the forest, she met Will, running with panting breaths toward the camp.

And in her extremely agitated state of mind, she didn't notice that Djaq was not with him.


	28. Chapter 28

_What have I done?_

A thousand reproaches sped through Robin's mind, swifter than arrows, as he sadly watched Marian ride away.

How could he have doubted her, a woman of character and principle? He knew that his love did not give her heart, let alone her body, lightly. Amazingly, she had trusted him with both, loving him with total abandon, and a tenderness and passion as boundless as his own.

Despite his misery at watching her go, Robin felt a sense of infinite bliss, remembering her as she'd looked at Bonchurch, flushed and happy and breathless, enthusiastically adoring him with warm moist lips, eager caressing hands, and bright shining eyes, clothed only in her breathtakingly incredible beauty. Alone together within the private, sheltering walls of his hunting lodge, nothing had come between them...no jealousy, no distrust, and certainly no Guy of Gisbourne.

But now, all because of a few words centered around that vile traitor, their perfect union was shattered.

Robin blamed himself, believing what he'd told her dying father proved to be true...he probably didn't deserve her.

And yet, her own words haunted and tortured him. "It's over," she had stated, emphatically.

_What did you mean by that, if not your relationship with him? And just what, exactly, is that relationship? _

"Now, don't get downhearted," Much was saying, trying to sound soothing, but coming across anxious. "You've had an upset, I know. But it's not the first time Marian's marched away, if you can call it marching, when she's on the back of a horse. Maybe it's the horse who marched. Or should I say 'trotted?' "

"Shut up!" Little John ordered.

"For you information, Badger Beard, I wasn't talking to you! Anyway, Master, look at the bright side. My mother always used to say there was always something good, if you looked for it. And the good thing today, I think you'll find is, you won't have to worry about Marian getting hurt, fighting the sheriff's men! You have to admit, Master, when she said she was rejoining us, you were more than a little concerned-"

At that very moment, a breathless Will Scarlet staggered in among them, silencing Much with loud heaving breaths, doubled over with his hands on his knees. When he finally caught his breath, he could barely get out the words, "They've got Djaq!"

Instantly, Robin pushed his own troubles from his mind. This would not be like the other time Djaq had been captured, when he hadn't cared enough to save her, being consumed instead by vengeance toward Gisbourne. Never again would he put his own needs before the needs of his men.

"Right," he said lowly, without a trace of reproach toward Will for disobeying him. "We go to Nottingham, now!"

...

"Marian, where have you been?"

Furious at the world, but mostly at Robin of Locksley, Marian wanted to turn and scream into the face of Gisbourne. It seemed she couldn't even stable her horse without Guy coming up behind her, questioning her every move.

"Are you going to apologize to me?" she asked him, curtly, without expecting him to.

Surprisingly, his mood changed, from suspicion to meekness. "I'm sorry," he said, confusing her by his sincerity. "I didn't like the way the sheriff let that man taunt you."

"You didn't object at the time! You were perfectly content to stay silent, and let me be humiliated! Why didn't you challenge him?"

"I've told you, Marian, he's all I've got!"

"Is it any wonder, when you choose to follow him? Since that's your choice, Guy, he's all you ever _will_ have."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned from him and stormed away, up the stairs to her lonely room in the castle. Yet when she reached the door, she found she wasn't alone.

"Not bein' funny, but you gotta help me."

_Allan! Another man who couldn't wait to watch me dance, for Ruthless Rufus' pleasure!_ "What are you doing here?" she snapped, so angrily that Allan took a step back.

"Oi!" he cried, throwing up his hands. "Thought you nobles were supposed to have manners! Isn't that what Robin meant when he scolded me, sayin', 'Don't you know it's rude to read other people's mail?' "

"Keep Robin out of this!"

"Look, Marian, I don't care about what's goin' on between you and Robin. What I do care about is this...they've got Djaq, and we gotta help her!"

"Djaq? Who? Who's got Djaq?"

"The sheriff, and Ruthless Rufus."

Just as Robin had done, Marian pushed aside her own troubles at hearing the awful news. "Do they know who she is?" she asked, her mind racing with concerns for the pretty young Saracen.

"What do you think?"

The implication made Marian catch her breath. "You're right," she agreed, "we have to help her! Do you have a plan?"

"Me? Not bein' funny, but I was hopin' you'd have one."

"Where is she? The dungeon?"

"Naw." Allan, usually so debonair, seemed more upset than Marian remembered ever having seen him. "She's locked up in Ruthless Rufus' room. He's braggin' about how he's gonna..."

Allan didn't finish. Marian guessed it was because he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"Don't worry," she said, realizing she needed to be strong for both of them. "We'll get her out."

Brave words, she knew, but the situation called for them. Now, if only they had a plan.


	29. Chapter 29

"Not bein' funny, but you don't look like Robin!"

Allan's supposedly witty response to Marian's "I have a plan," made her lash back with a vengeance.

"Lord Locksley isn't the only one who can plan!" she stormed, her eyes flashing. "Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I'm not every bit as clever as he is, and twice as smart!"

"Lord Locksley...? Don't let Guy hear you say that."

Utterly exasperated, Marian let out a groan, then wheeled on Allan, saying, "We don't have time for this! Are you going to help me rescue Djaq, or not?"

The mention of his pretty Saracen friend in danger turned Allan serious again. "Yeah," he told Marian, somewhat calming her nerves. "Course I am. What's your plan?"

With a confidence she didn't feel, Marian began to tell him. "It's the same plan we used before, when we rescued Locksley from the sheriff's birdcage-"

"What's all this 'Locksley?' You and Robin have a fight? And we didn't rescue him. Robin got out on his own."

"Since when have you been a stickler for the truth?"

"Oi! I spin a few yarns, but so do you."

"But I don't enjoy it! Are you going to listen to my plan?"

"Yeah, alright. But you and Robin musta' had some fight."

Again, Marian uttered an exasperated groan while rolling her eyes. She wanted to continue arguing with Allan about a few things concerning Lord Robin of Locksley, but she knew that Djaq could not wait. "It's the same plan," she continued urgently, "but in reverse. This time, I'll be the distraction, while you provide the muscle. Now step outside. I need to change."

"What? You gonna put on your Nightwatchman suit again?"

"No. A red gown I once wore, in the sheriff's casino. Now, go! I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Obediently, Allan stepped outside her room, into the castle corridor, wickedly keeping the door open a hare's breath. He was no "Peeping Tom," but this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Unluckily for him, he didn't see anything worth bragging about, since Marian simply exchanged one gown for another without removing the long white chemise she wore as an underdress.

While hastily changing her clothes, Marian couldn't stop her thoughts from dwelling on Robin's unfounded jealousy.

_Why, Robin? _she kept thinking, pulling one gown over her head. _You're not normally jealous! It's only Gisbourne! Yes, he's done unspeakable crimes, but that's only because he follows the sheriff. You thinking he travelled to the Holy Land, disguised as a Saracen to try to kill the king, is ridiculous! My 'friendship' with the man is only to help you. If you can't accept that I love you...only you...especially now..._

Having finished dressing, she joined Allan in the hallway, wondering for a moment why her door wasn't fully shut. "I'm ready," she said, not realizing how devastatingly gorgeous she looked.

"Nice!" Allan grinned, approving her appearance.

"You _would_ like this gown," Marian scolded, feeling embarrassed by the grin on Allan's face. "There's a reason I've only worn it once."

"Robin ever see you in it? Not bein' funny, but if you want to make up your fight-"

"Stop. There's really no difference between this gown and one I had on, other than the color."

"The skirt's tighter," Allan noticed, with a gleam in his eye. "You look good in red. You know...'The Scarlet Woman.' "

"How dare you?"

"Come on, Marian, cut the 'Better Than You' attitude. I had enough of that with Robin. Oi, now you wanna defend him! A minute ago, you couldn't even say his name."

"You deserve Gisbourne. You're both-"

"What?"

"We don't have time to argue! We've got to save Djaq!"

"Yeah, you're right. What'll we do?"

...

It took under a minute for Marian to tell Allan to sneak up behind Ruthless Rufus while she distracted him, and to knock him unconscious so that they could rescue Djaq. Having no better idea, Allan agreed. However, the best laid plans, and even those that weren't well laid, often went astray.

When they arrived in Ruthless Rufus' rooms, they found he wasn't alone with Djaq, but was entertaining the sheriff, while Gisbourne stood glowering, leaning against a wall. The Saracen was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone seemed surprised to see Marian, especially dressed as she was. The sheriff took note of Allan accompanying her, without mentioning the fact.

Allan, appearing nonchalant, immediately joined Guy, but Marian had a more difficult time hiding her distress.

"Oh! The Leper!" the sheriff cried, swilling his wine. "And dressed to impress! My, my, Missy! It seems, Gisbourne, hmm, that Marian here has already scented the shift in the wind of my favor, so to speak!"

"I came to apologize," Marian stammered, her cheeks nearly as red as her gown. She could feel Gisbourne's eyes boring through her dress, even more hotly than Rufus's leering gaze. "I was rude to your guest, Sheriff, and I want to say I'm sorry."

"So, you're ready to dance now?" Rufus demanded, pointing a finger at her.

Marian was quick with an excuse, wondering all the time where Djaq could be. "I'm sorry. I twisted my ankle on the stairs. But I do want to mend things between us."

"Very good!" the sheriff crowed, darting his glance back and forth between Marian, Rufus, and Gisbourne. "What did I tell you, Gisbourne, hmm? Fickle, Gisbourne, fickle. Lepers flit from one man of power to another. They're not like us, hmm? They don't know the meaning of the word 'Loyalty.' All they care about, is who can provide for them. It's a nesting thing, really."

Seeking to prove himself to Marian, Gisbourne objected. "My lord, with respect, Marian isn't like other women."

"No?" the sheriff asked, drawing out the word. "Let's just see, shall we?" Snickering, Vaisey turned to Ruthless Rufus. "How are you finding your accommodations here, in my castle?"

"Cramped," Rufus sneered. Then, leering at Marian, he said, "And crowded, now that I have company."

"Oh, never fear, Gisbourne and his boy and I will soon go, and leave you to it! But first," the sheriff continued, gleefully, "I'd like to offer you a little sweetener, if you catch Robin Hood. How would you like a house of your own, hmm? One of Robin Hood's own properties? I hear that Bonchurch Lodge is vacant, at least some days!"

Marian felt the color leave her face, wondering what the sheriff knew. His eyes were staring at her knowingly, and it took all her courage not to flinch.

Gisbourne, for his part, was furious. Unable to control himself, he stormed from the room. And with Djaq missing, Marian felt no call to stay.

Excusing herself, to Allan's annoyance, she hastened after Guy.


	30. Chapter 30

Free from the sheriff's gloating, inquisitive gaze, Marian ran after Guy, asking, "Guy, what's happening? Where's the Saracen?"

Ignoring her most urgent question, Gisbourne stopped to storm back his answer concerning what mattered to him. "What's happening, Marian, is nothing new. The sheriff's taunting me again, giving away what ought to be mine!"

"Do you mean Bonchurch?" Just speaking aloud the name of Robin's hunting lodge, the recent site of their heavenly, romantic, and steamy encounters, brought a smile to Marian's lips. "Forgive me, Guy, but what possible claim do you have on that estate?"

"Everything that once belonged to Hood should be mine," Gisbourne shouted. "Everything!"

"Is that why you wanted to marry me?"

The question had slipped out on its own. Instantly, she regretted her words.

She didn't care if it were true. Since she didn't love Guy, she didn't feel the least bit wounded. Not even her pride was stung. In fact, the realization was a relief, easing her guilt for constantly deceiving the man. But more than that, it helped her to understand him, and his motives.

_Robin, you were right all along. His heart is as black as his clothes. I was a fool for thinking I could change him._

She needed to cover herself, and protect herself from his wrath. "You said yourself, Guy, I was once engaged to Robin Hood, when I was just a girl. Thankfully, he left me, before...before I learned his true nature."

_Your true nature is that of a killer. Why did I deny it so long?_

Before she could stop him, Gisbourne grabbed both her hands, squeezing them in a firm, hot, pleading clasp. "No, Marian! It's not true! I admit, I first wanted you because you'd once been his, but things changed between us! I grew to love you, and I would make you Lady Gisbourne now, if you were born and bred in the gutter! Marry me, Marian! Let me watch over you...protect you."

Uncomfortable, Marian tried to draw back her hands from his grasp. The last thing she'd meant to do, was to open the floodgates of Guy's passion.

"Please, Guy, not now. Not here."

_Nowhere, and at no time_...

And then all at once, she realized they were not alone. Robin was with them, somewhere, hidden. She could sense his presence, feel his eyes watching her. Watching them. Part of her spirit leaped with joy, just to know he was near. But most of it cringed, knowing this scene would be fuel to his jealousy. She spied him, there, in the shadows, mostly hidden behind a tapestry. Her eyes met his, warning him to be careful.

She knew what an effort it was for Robin to remain hidden while Gisbourne touched her, trying to force her to be his. "Let me go, Guy," Marian ordered, her irritation increasing as her command went unheeded.

For the first time in her life, Marian was happy to see the sheriff make his appearance. Bored with only Ruthless Rufus and Allan to torment, Vaisey opened the door to the corridor and joined her and Guy, followed closely by the two other men. Only then did Guy release Marian's hands, tossing them from his grasp like dirty dish rags.

"Oooh," the sheriff cooed, strangely excited. "Have I interrupted your little chat? Come on, Gizzy, hmm, you can do better than that! Kissy, kissy!"

"I'll do the honors, since he's not man enough," Ruthless Rufus boasted, pushing aside the sheriff and seizing Marian by her arms.

"Get off me!" Marian's voice was filled with warning, even while her eyes darted to the tapestry, having seen it move.

_ No, Robin! Don't show yourself!_

Before Marian could wrench herself free, Gisbourne bellowed a battle cry, drew forth his sword, and charged.

"Put it away," the sheriff ordered, sounding bored. "Save it, Gisbourne, hmm, for our enemies. This man, remember, is my guest!"

On command, a furious Guy stepped back, sheathed his blade, then stood by panting, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Free from both men now, Marian abruptly asked, "My lord sheriff, where is the Saracen? I heard you'd captured her."

_Of course! Djaq was why Robin was here!_ Marian recalled how she'd seen Will racing back to camp alone, chiding herself for not caring at the time. _Will told Robin. The entire gang must be here._

"The Saracen!" the sheriff repeated, smugly. "Good question, Missy! For your information, we're keeping her as bait! Oh, yes! Rufus here wanted to, shall we say, pleasure her, hmm, until I told him about her Saracen magic. You were quite willing to give her up to me, weren't you Ruthless, once I described her potion that can eat away iron. Not to mention flesh, Gisbourne, hmm? Hood, of course, with his noble heart, will come dashing quite dashingly to her rescue, once he learns she's under my control, and then, THEN, he and I will make a little deal...a trade. Oh, yes! This is good! This is good!"

"What deal?" Marian asked, already guessing the answer.

"I'll trade the Saracen for Robin Hood! Isn't that what I did before, at your insistence, Missy, hmm? Only then, if I recall, the deal was one Saracen for one Gisbourne. I wonder, hmm, who got the worse end of the stick on that exchange!"

The sheriff's laughter nearly drowned out Marian's next question. "Where is the Saracen now?" she asked, trying to help Robin, before any despicable "trade" could take place. "Have you locked her in the dungeon?"

"The dungeon? Oh, no! Nothing so boring as that!" the sheriff gloated. "You underestimate me, Missy! You'd think it would be Hood-proof, hmm, but even my castle dungeon can't keep out Little Robin Redbreast! Or keep him in, more's the pity. Oh, no! I've hidden her some place new, where even Hood can't reach her! Some place, shall we say, particularly nasty. Oh, this is good! This is good!"

"Let her go, Sheriff," Robin's voice suddenly called out, as the outlaw stepped boldly into their presence. "I agree to the trade."


	31. Chapter 31

"Throw down your weapons, Hood," Gisbourne commanded, and to Marian's utter dismay, Robin obeyed.

"I'm unarmed," the handsome, young outlaw announced. "Take me, Sheriff, and release Djaq."

"Oh, this is good! This is good! Oh, I will 'take' you, Hood," Sheriff Vaisey drooled, "but in my own time, not yours! Did you know, hmm, Prince John wants to mount your head for his trophy room? I so longed to keep your pretty little skull for my own, to cradle at night, but I suppose I'll have to be content, mounting your body."

"You mean stuffing his body...preserving it like a hunting trophy," Ruthless Rufus corrected, disturbed by the sheriff's choice of words.

"Oh, I'll stuff it, alright," the sheriff boasted. "Isn't that right, Gisbourne, hmm? Guy knows exactly what I mean. Don't you, Gizzy?"

"Let me kill him now, my lord," Gisbourne insisted. He fervently hoped that Marian had no clue what the sheriff was implying, every bit as much as he longed to slay Hood. "If I don't, we run the risk that he'll escape, again."

"Where's Djaq, Sheriff?" Robin demanded. "I kept my end of your trade. Let her go...NOW!"

Robin's tone made Gisbourne draw his sword and point it menacingly at the archer, delighting the sheriff.

"Very good, Gisbourne! It seems you are in no position to negotiate, Robin my friend," the sheriff gloated, smugly. "I wonder what other positions you'll soon find yourself in!"

Robin's hatred and jealousy toward Gisbourne made him ignore everyone else in the castle corridor, with the exception of Marian. For though he did not even glance her direction, Robin was intensely aware of her beautiful blue eyes signaling messages to him.

"Do your worst, Gisbourne," he snarled. "It isn't noble and it isn't brave, pointing your sword at a man who already surrendered."

"Do you think I care, Hood?" Gisbourne snarled viciously back. "All I care about is watching you die."

"Then I suppose you'll be disappointed again. I have no intention of dying, at least not today."

Turning to face the sheriff, Robin flashed a quick look of pure adoration into Marian's eyes, then repeated his demand. "Release Djaq, Sheriff. I won't try to escape you this time. I give you my word."

Her heart pounding, Marian couldn't believe her ears. What was Robin doing? Of course, he couldn't let Djaq be hurt, but turning himself in...then giving his word he wouldn't escape? Robin's word meant everything! Why was he sacrificing himself, when they had so much to live for? Did those plans they made at Bonchurch mean nothing to him? Did she? And was he such a fool as to believe the sheriff would keep _his_ word?

As if reading her thoughts, Vaisey smirked, "Oh, your word! I suspect you expect me to keep mine, hmm? Sorry to disappoint you, Hood, but...a clue...no. I have no intention of releasing your little dusky-skinned bed-mate! Keep pointing your sword at him, Gisbourne. We wouldn't want Prince John's pretty little trophy to break his word and escape, would we? Did you really think I'd honor our little trade agreement, hmm? A clue...no! I mean to keep your Saracen as my slave, and persuade her, shall we say, to share her secret magic with me! And believe me, Hood, I can be very persuasive."

"Even you wouldn't stoop so low as to torture a woman, Vaisey," Robin stated.

"Wouldn't I? Do you really think I share your sense of chivalry toward lepers? I'm hurt, Hood. I thought you knew me better than that." Brightening, the sheriff continued. "I wonder if Prince John would like me to cut off your hair for his trophy wall, as well as your head, hmm? Personally, I can't quite decide whether you're prettier wearing it shaggy, or trimmed. What do you think, Marian, hmm?"

Marian didn't respond, for her mind was engrossed on a plan to help save the man she loved.

_All you need, Robin, is a split second distraction,_ _to knock Guy's sword from his hand and make your escape. _

"Guy," she called out feebly, swaying on her feet, then sinking to the ground in a convincing swoon.

But her plan failed. Not only did Gisbourne look her way, but so did Robin. Opening one eye, she spied him staring anxiously at her, his mouth open and his eyes wide with worry.

_Now's your chance! _she pleaded silently to him. _Knock away his sword, grab your weapons, and run!_

"Would someone please get the leper a lump of sugar?" the sheriff jested. "She's dirtying up my hallway! GUARDS!" he suddenly screamed. "Take Hood back to my chambers, and lock him in his birdcage! This time, Locksley, you won't escape. After all, you gave me your precious word. And unlike me, you feel bound and compelled to keep it! Oh, this is good! This is good! Rufus! Gisbourne! Let's celebrate, hmm? I have some fine Burgundy wine just waiting to be drunk!"


	32. Chapter 32

"Where are the guards? Something's not right."

Standing just outside the sheriff's bedchamber, Marian asked the question more to herself than to Allan, who waited nervously behind her.

"Look, Marian," he answered, anxious not to get caught in a trap and ruin everything he'd strived for, working for Gisbourne. "I brought you here, like I said. From here on out, you're on your own."

"Find Robin's men," she whispered urgently to him. "Tell them I need them. And hurry!"

"Yeah, and while I'm at it, why don't I tell them to polish my sword? Come to think of it, my boots could use a shine, too."

"Don't be ridiculous. Help me! Robin's in danger!"

"Not bein' funny, but he won't be the only one, if I face the gang. Have you seen the looks John gives me? We're not exactly on the same team anymore."

"You faced them when the sheriff was missing!"

"I had your ring to protect me then."

"Is that all? Here."

Furious, Marian reached down the neckline of her red gown, pulled out her emerald engagement ring, and flung it into Allan's hand, complaining, "We don't have time for this!"

"Nice," the former outlaw approved, grinning as he fingered her ring. "Toasty warm."

"Go!"

When at last he did, Marian cautiously pulled open the sheriff's door, then stood for a moment on the threshold, her eyes drinking in Robin. Rushing to him, she reached her fingers through the bars of his cage to grasp his hands, while pressing her lips against his warm, eager mouth. For a few brief moments they forgot everything but each other, blissfully happy as they kissed, until the reality of the cage between them broke them apart.

Her exquisitely beautiful face, lined from having been pressed against the bars, looked worried and sad.

"Hey," Robin said soothingly, his own face lovingly tender, "don't worry about me, my love. I'll be fine."

"How can you be? You gave the sheriff your word, you wouldn't escape."

"I said I wouldn't _try_ to escape. I never swore I wouldn't go, if somebody else let me out. But free Djaq first. I think I know where she is, Marian."

"Where? And I think _you _ought to be freed first. Then you can get her out."

"I can wait. Djaq cannot."

"Why? Prince John isn't clamoring to hang _her_ head in his trophy room!"

"I think the sheriff's locked her in the sewer, Marian. He said 'someplace nasty.' I need you to find my men, and tell Will to think of a way to get her out."

"I won't! Allan's sending your men here, to help me get you out!"

"Allan?"

"Would you rather I sent Gisbourne? You can trust Allan, Robin."

"Can I?"

"Why is Djaq's life more important than your own? What about the people who need you? What about the ones who...the ones who love you? If you cared at all about them, the way you care for Djaq...!"

"What is this really about?"

His voice had grown soft, his eyes searching. The scene reminded Marian of the first time he was locked in the sheriff's dungeon, and she'd come to rescue him. She felt every bit as vulnerable today, perhaps even more so, confusing her. Robin and she had come such a long way since then, so that she couldn't understand her own jealousy. It didn't make sense. Robin was true to her, she knew. She also knew Djaq, and trusted her. Yet the sheriff's accusation of the Saracen being Robin's "dusky-skinned bedmate" had twisted a knife in her heart.

"I don't understand why..."she began, weakly.

Marian couldn't go on. Of course he'd put others' lives ahead of his own, especially the lives of his men. It was his nature to be noble...brave...unselfish. She hoped that she would do the same, if faced with such a choice. If it had been Much, she would have understood. But it hurt that it was Djaq, all because of the sheriff's words.

"Djaq has to be freed, Marian," Robin explained, seriously. "I've never forgiven myself for the last time she was here, and I was too consumed with vengeance to save her."

"Is that the reason? Your conscience needs clearing?"

Ashamed, Robin nodded. "That, and to right my wrong," he told her, looking deeply into her eyes.

It felt good to be confessing to Marian, the only person in all the world he trusted with the secret burdens of his heart. Already he felt lightened, and he thanked her with a heartfelt smile. But Marian couldn't smile back.

"You are more important than Djaq," she told him earnestly, still unhappy, though warmed by their closeness. "I'm being selfish, I know, and as much as I like and respect her, Robin, her life doesn't impact others the way yours does. If you were to die-"

"I'm not going to die, not until you and I have shared years and years of loving arguments between us. All our dreams...all those plans we made at Bonchurch, Marian, will come true. I swear it."

"Bonchurch! Robin, we can't meet there again! I think the sheriff suspects!"

Her alarming news took Robin by surprise. Thinking aloud, he voiced his deepest fear. "Then you're in as much danger as I am."

She was indeed in danger, she realized, for just then, she heard the unmistakable sound of Gisbourne's heavy spurred boots approaching the sheriff's rooms.


	33. Chapter 33

"Marian," Robin said suddenly, having also heard Gisbourne's unmistakable tromping footsteps approaching the sheriff's rooms. "Hide!"

With her instincts warning her to conceal herself from Guy, the childhood memory of hiding under her father's bed in this very room flashed through Marian's mind, as well as the story Robin had told her of her father's bravery when stealing the sheriff's Pact. While she'd been grieving over her father's death, Robin had gently related to her how he had pulled himself up by the ropes suspending the sheriff's birdcages, while her father had hidden behind a curtain, to avoid the sheriff.

Three possible hiding places, yet she chose none. Her instincts were strong, but her reason cautioned that if she hid, Robin would find himself at Gisbourne's mercy. And Guy was not known for mercy, especially toward Robin.

"Marian!" Robin loudly whispered again, his eyes desperate.

The sound of Guy's footsteps stopped, but now the lovers heard the more ominous sound of the creaking doorknob slowly turning.

"And so, Hood," Marian spoke boldly, standing proud and defiant in her scarlet gown before Robin's birdcage, "how does it feel, being caged like the animal you are? I only hope you finally get what you deserve, so that law abiding nobles can once again travel the roads of the shire in safety. Guy!"

"What are you doing here, Marian?" Guy asked, his voice low and threatening.

"I don't envy you, Gisbourne," Robin said cockily, while cold fear for Marian gripped his heart. "Freeing Jerusalem isn't the only reason I joined the King's Crusade! The sound of Saracen battle cries, however shrill, are nothing compared to that pampered parasite's scolding tongue."

"Watch your own tongue, Hood," Gisbourne snarled. "The only thing stopping me from cutting it out of your lying mouth is I don't want to miss hearing you scream, when the sheriff has you tortured and killed."

Robin, knowing how to get under Gisbourne's skin, only snickered in reply. The sight of his mocking face with its little wolf teeth enraged Gisbourne more than any clever retort could have done.

"Forgive me, Guy," Marian spoke up at last, trying to turn Gisbourne's attention away from Robin. "I couldn't resist getting back at him, for all the wrongs he's done. Why are there no guards?"

"Another foolish idea of the sheriff's," Gisbourne answered, completely won over by her irresistible beauty. "He says he's torturing Hood, making him think escape could be easy. But you shouldn't be here."

"How is that torture?"

"The sheriff believes the outlaw won't escape, not even if he unlocks the birdcage, knowing the fool would hold to his word."

"And do you think the sheriff will?" Marian asked, feigning fear, while hope soared in her heart. "Unlock the birdcage, I mean, and test Hood?"

"Not if I can convince him otherwise," Gisbourne sneered, furious that the sheriff would even suggest such a plan. "The sheriff ought to know that Hood can't be trusted."

"You do me an injustice, Gisbourne," Robin teased, his lips pulled back in a snarl. "Once before the sheriff opened the door to my jail cell, and I didn't make a move to escape."

"But you got out somehow," Guy seethed.

Robin broke into a grin. "I had a little help from some friends of mine," he said, stopping short at winking at Marian.

Marian's thoughts were entirely focused on the hope that the sheriff would indeed try to tempt Robin to break his word and escape, by unlocking the unbreakable lock. Hadn't Robin just told her that he would willingly go, if someone else let him out? And wouldn't that someone include the sheriff? Perhaps she didn't need Robin's men after all. But of course, Robin could not leave if Gisbourne still loomed about.

"Guy," she said, taking his arm, even while she knew her action would drive Robin mad with jealousy. "I've had enough of outlaws. Would you mind accompanying me to the market? I'd like to look at cloth, for a new gown. Or do you like the one I'm wearing?"

Gisbourne didn't answer. She was charming, temptingly beautiful, with lips nearly as red as the dress hugging her exquisite curves. There were things he wanted to do to her that shouldn't be done to any maid. But he knew if he tried them without her consent, he would lose all hope of making her his wife.

Why was she so difficult to win?

Heatedly, he remembered the one and only time they'd kissed. And then, he remembered the last time Hood had been locked in the birdcage, and the sheriff had suggested Guy "woo" Marian in front of him.

All at once, he seized her in his arms, burying his face in her neck while she struggled to be free.

"Kiss me, Marian," he begged, breathing heavily. "Let's torture Hood, by making him watch."

"Get off me!"

Marian, every bit as furious as Robin by the unwelcome assault, had to stop herself from letting Guy know her true fighting abilities, desperately longing to knock him out cold. But even while he slobbered on her throat, she knew she couldn't let him know. She had to use her words to make him stop, rather than her fists.

"I do not kiss for show," she told him, between clenched teeth. "If I ever do kiss you, Guy of Gisbourne, it will be because I want to. And it won't be for anyone else's benefit."

Her plea worked, though it did little to take away Robin's fury. Gisbourne, looking ashamed, reluctantly released her. Marian's eyes, however, couldn't help looking distressed, for Robin was so overwrought his birdcage was swinging violently.

The archer's fury satisfied Guy, though his other urges had not been satisfied.

"She's kissed me before, Hood. And in time, she'll kiss me again."

"How dare you?" Marian turned on Guy, truly angry. "I do not appreciate being spoken of, as if I were a prize at the fair."

"Forgive me," Guy said, still gloating over Hood's jealous rage. "That was inappropriate."

_Yes it was,_ she silently fumed. _You sound as if you're schooling yourself in manners. Better late than never, I suppose._

Still angry, Marian knew she had to smile at Guy, and steer him away, if Robin had any hope of escape. "Well, Guy," she said, smiling. "Are you going to escort me to market, or do I have to go alone?"

"Shall we?" Guy asked, offering his arm.

Overly conscious of Robin's reaction, Marian took his arm.

At last, they were to leave. She'd just have to make it up to Robin later, she knew. She couldn't help the thrill of excitement that rushed through her at the thought.

And then, the sound of commotion in the corridor stopped her.

The gang! With terrible timing, Allan had finally brought the gang!

"Stay back," Gisbourne ordered her, drawing his sword with a hiss of steel.

"This...is a rescue!" Much's voice proudly proclaimed, as he flung open the door. "Oh, no! Gisbourne! I knew it! I knew we shouldn't have trusted-"

Right behind Much, Allan drew his sword. "Guy!" he called, switching sides more readily than he changed his socks. "I caught the outlaws...all of them! Help me lock 'em in cages!"

"Traitor!" Little John bellowed, thinking it had surely been a trap.

Dismayed, Marian saw Allan had been right about one thing. It was indeed _all_ the outlaws, for standing behind Little John, next to Will, stood pretty, diminutive Djaq.


	34. Chapter 34

Outnumbered, Gisbourne soon discovered that his size, strength, and skill with the sword were no match for the outlaws. Little John, eager to avenge many a grudge against his tall, evil foe, enjoyed repeating his trick of jabbing his staff into Guy's most sensitive and private parts, before slamming it down on his head.

Allan, finding himself facing Will, was torn between fighting for his life or going easy on the lad who'd once been his closest friend. He didn't debate himself for long, however. Once his master was knocked senseless, Allan employed what he considered his best weapon, his wheedling tongue.

"Look," he pleaded, hoping the gang would believe him, "I didn't know Giz was here! Not bein' funny, but I'm not lyin' this time!"

"Please!" Much scoffed. "You don't know how not to lie! Or should I say, tell the truth?"

"I don't think he knew," Marian spoke up. "I told him to bring you here. But while you two are squabbling, Robin's still locked in a cage! Little John, could you please try to help him? Break the lock!"

"First, I break_ his_ head. Traitor!" Bellowing, Little John forcefully brought his staff down over Allan's head. Satisfied that Allan had joined his master in an equally unconscious state, Little John took the heavy iron lock between his huge hands and began sqeezing it with all his strength.

"Was that really necessary?" Marian, looking down at Allan lying sprawled at her feet, didn't expect Little John to answer, yet was not surprised when Robin did.

Robin needed his answer to reach not only Marian, but Will and Djaq, who'd gotten them all into this mess by trying to bring Allan back into the gang. "You saw how quickly he turned on us, as soon as he saw Gisbourne was here," he explained, with a touch of bitterness. "Allan made his choice. He could have easily declared himself with us, and we'd have been six against one...seven, if we count the beautiful creature in the flaming red dress."

In spite of the desperate situation, Marian couldn't help but feel pleased. So, he'd noticed her gown after all! Smiling back at him, she teased, "I assumed you _were_ counting me, in your original tally. After all, what could you do, locked in a cage?"

"You'd be surprised," he said, grinning back at her.

"It's no good," Little John announced, giving up in frustration. "I no can break it, Robin."

Much began pacing, just because he couldn't stand still. "I knew it!" he complained, his heart breaking. "Alright then! If you can't get out, then...then neither can I. Someone...squeeze me into a birdcage, too! I never thought I'd die this way, like a canary stuffed in a cage, especially when you don't even let me sing! But-"

"Nobody's dying, Much," Robin explained, equally touched and annoyed by his friend's ranting. "Luckily, there isn't another cage big enough to hold you. I'll think of something else. Trust me."

"Another plan?" Much asked, eagerly. "I must say, Master, I am glad! Because, for a minute there..."

Robin, exuding confidence, looked over Much's head to smile at Djaq. "It's good to have you back!" he told her. "Good work, lads, freeing her!"

"It's good to be back," Djaq answered, quietly smiling.

Marian, remembering the sheriff's accusation, couldn't help but feel uncomfortable watching the exchange between the man she loved and the pretty Saracen. It was ridiculous to feel jealous, she knew, and yet...! But her brief moment of uneasiness was dispelled when Djaq calmly announced, "I can break your lock, Robin."

"You?" Much cried, in disbelief. "What can you do?"

"Watch and see."

To everyone's amazement, Djaq pulled forth a small vial, then carefully unstopped it. "The sheriff wanted me to be his apothecary again," Djaq explained. "He should have known better, than to let me make this. Stand back, Robin. I do not want you to be burned."

So saying, Djaq carefully poured the contents of the vial onto the birdcage's lock, smiling craftily as the acid dissolved the metal.

The vial was not the only thing she had snuck from the sheriff's foul-smelling chamber. Unknown to everyone, she had also taken select ingredients that would help her make "Greek Fire."

"Unbelievable!" Much proclaimed, happily. "Master, you're free!"

Robin was indeed free. Kicking open his cage's door, he leaped nimbly to the ground, then flung himself into Marian's ecstatic embrace. "Thank you, God," he breathed. "And thank you, Djaq!"

"Now," he said, looking appealingly into Marian's face while he held her in his arms, "you have a choice to make, I think. If the sheriff knows about Bonchurch, like you said-"

"Bonchurch?" Much interrupted. "Wha-wha-wha...? What about Bonchurch?"

"If the sheriff knows," Robin continued, throwing Much a look of annoyance, "you're in danger, Marian. Will you come with me and my lads, back to the forest? I won't make the same mistake I made not long ago, and drive you away. I swear it."

Marian didn't hesitate. He was too necessary to her now, to be always apart. "I'll come," she agreed.


End file.
